Rory McIlroy’s former agent Chubby Chandler says Robert MacIntyre may not get an invite to the 2027 Masters.
The 29-year-old hit the headlines last week at the first men’s major of the year for entirely the wrong reasons.
MacIntyre directed a middle finger towards the 15th green at Augusta National after registering a quadruple-bogey nine en route to an opening 80.
The Scot, who declined to speak to the media after he was reprimanded by tournament officials, then risked further backlash.
MacIntyre posted a mocked-up picture on his Instagram account of a gnome resembling himself giving the middle finger after exiting the tournament at the halfway stage.
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Robert MacIntyre has been reprimanded by Masters officials, according to a report
Chandler told Action Network that MacIntyre needs to cut out the ugly behaviour.
“Bob is going through what Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke went through when they suddenly got thrust into a limelight where they’ve got a chance to win the Masters or a major,” he said.
“I remember when the Open was at Birkdale in 2006, Lee was favourite for the Open.
“I remember thinking, ‘How ridiculous is that?’ He went to his major now, instead of thinking, ‘good, we could finish high up.’ Now it’s, ‘I’ve got a chance to win this.’
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“He’ll need to win every week to cover the fines he should be getting. Augusta could fine him five grand or a hundred grand. You wouldn’t know.
“But he’ll have been taken to one side, and somebody will have given him some very stern words, which are better than any fine.
“It might have gone something like, ‘listen, young Mr. MacIntyre, if you behave like that again, you’ll find your invitation won’t be turning up next year.’
“Because everybody gets invited. Even though you qualify to play, everybody gets invited. He’s just got to stop that. It’s ugly, isn’t it?
“He could have his invitation to next year’s Masters void because they’ve been known to do that before.”
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Robert MacIntyre
MacIntyre carded a second-round 71 at Augusta on Friday to miss the cut by three shots.
He came into the 2026 Masters as a trendy pick to contend for the green jacket.
MacIntyre finished runner-up to JJ Spaun at last year’s U.S. Open and has been increasingly getting himself into contention in major championships and proving his metal at Ryder Cups.
The Scotsman reported last week that he was very close to withdrawing last week after injuring his neck.
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Chandler believes that MacIntyre has the pedigree to win one of golf’s big four, but he needs to stamp out the immaturity.
“His game is brilliant,” he said. “His chipping, his pitching, his putting is all great. He just has to mature.
“Bob can win a major. He’ll be one of the next 15 in the running to win one. People like him and Ludvig Aberg; Ludvig hasn’t reacted under the pressure that you’d think he would.
“He’s going to have to work his way through that because when things like that happen to you, you can’t go and practice it.
“You’ve got to play yourself into that position. Winning a major is not easy.
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“If Aberg doesn’t win a major in the next couple of years, he’ll feel the pressure and expectation but not yet.”
Chandler was speaking to Action Network.
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