Back and capable of competing, Robert MacIntyre is intent on making up for lost time.
The Scot, last season’s European Tour rookie of the year, will finally get his campaign going on Thursday at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, one week later than he had envisioned.
A persistent wrist injury put paid to MacIntyre’s participation at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, when his swing-speed was down and certain shots painful to hit. Ultimately, it took the decision out of his hands.
“If I can't compete, I won't play,” MacIntyre said on Wednesday. “There's no point. I'm not here just to make up the numbers. If I played last week, I was going to finish close to last.
“It's just as simple as that. I couldn't compete. Whereas this week, I feel that I can go out there and give it enough go.”
McIntyre, 23, has not been feeling the best for a while. He has been taken painkillers since before the Open in July – his major debut, where he still finished tied-6th – and resolved to take six weeks off over the winter to aid the healing process.
The best thing, he believes, was rest. "I'm not worried, but if the pain comes back, then we've got a problem," said the world No 67, whose 2019 was highlighted by three runner-up finishes. "We've got to go and look into it deeper, whether it's technique or whatnot.
"But no, I can't worry about if I go here this week and worry about a sore hand, which could happen. Then I'm as well back home in Oban and sit on the couch. I'm just going out there, playing golf full throttles as I normally do and see how we're going."
He will need all his horsepower this week alright, especially with the rough at the Majlis Course causing considerable concern.
"It's an absolute brutal test," MacIntrye said. "You've got to keep the ball in the fairway. If you don't, you'll probably be home early.
"It's a pretty fair test. I see that like any golf course, but this week there's a premium on driving the golf ball. And that's hopefully where my game's at."
