A quadruple bogey proved to be Robert MacIntyre’s undoing on the first day of the 2026 Masters, and the flub could cost him more than positioning on the leaderboard.
The Scottish golfer’s reaction, which included an expletive-laced rant and middle finger to the camera, could earn him a reprimand from the notoriously strict organizers at Augusta National Golf Club.
MacIntyre, 29, eventually finished the day at 8-over, but his meltdown on the 15th hole drew the most attention. It didn’t start well, as he hit his ball into the water on his approach, flipping off the camera afterwards in frustration. Then he hit it into the water again after a penalty drop. He took another penalty drop, then his next shot soared through the back of the green.
He finished the par-5 with a quadruple bogey nine.
MacIntyre’s meltdown had been simmering for a few holes already. On the 12th hole, The Telegraph reports he was heard yelling, “It’s now going left to right, Jesus f***,” after his tee shot.
On the 13th, he reportedly yelled another expletive and cameras caught him slamming his club into the ground multiple times. MacIntyre did not speak to the media after his round.
The former U.S. Open runner-up has a history of letting his temper get the best of him. During the Valero Texas Open earlier this month, where he finished tied for second, he was caught on an open mic yelling “f***ing s***.”
He later told The Scotsman that he knows he is “volatile, and I know the bad language and stuff, but that’s just me.”
“I am trying to do my best out on the golf course,” he continued. “I’m a sportsman and it is live sport. I’m going to react the way I want to react. I’m not going to change how I react because there is someone standing there or elsewhere. I am trying to do the best that I can and I will take my time after to go and sign autographs with kids and what not, but, when I am playing golf I am red-lining.”
Masters organizers, however, likely won’t take kindly to MacIntyre’s “volatile” nature. His antics came a day after security kicked out former major winner Mark Calcavecchia simply for using his cell phone outside of the designated area — and he’s far from the first to get the boot for such a heinous sin.
Before Calcavecchia, 65, Arizona State men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond was tossed from the grounds for wearing shorts on the course, and multiple broadcasters have been banned for making off-color comments on the air.
