Ryder Cup diary: MacIntyre talks shinty while Hatton turns the air blue

MacIntyre gets lost in the translation

The organizers may have set up a translation service for the Italian journalists here, but unfortunately no one thought to provide one for the rest of us during Robert MacIntyre’s press conference. The left-hander, from Oban, stunned the press with a series of references to his enthusiasm for teuchter music, which he enjoys singing in the shower, and shinty, which he insists has taught him everything he knows about team sports. His father is a coach and MacIntyre, 27, says there are many parallels. “Shinty is such a man-to-man sport. If there’s a breakaway, obviously you have to cover it, but most of the time it’s one-on-one, so you stop your man and that helps the team” , he said. explained. We nodded like we knew what he was talking about as we Googled the rules on our phones.

Tyrrell 1up in swearing match

Tyrrell Hatton, on the other hand, needed a censor for his press session, which was also largely delivered in dialect, albeit in a more universal form. “I would probably win in a swearing-in,” Hatton explained, discussing his mood on the course and whether he had more foul-mouthed words than Jon Rahm. “I’ve got everyone covered when it counts.” He was, he cheerfully explained, a compulsive swearer, ‘at any time of the day, anywhere. It doesn’t matter what we do, I swear,” and to emphasize his point, he added a cheery “fuck off” and left.

Lowry makes a rookie mistake with Åberg

It wasn’t Hatton who took out the sky blues on the 16th in the afternoon, but his partner in the fourballs, Shane Lowry. They played a practice round against Ludvig Åberg and MacIntyre, with $200 (£165) per man on it, just to keep things interesting. Lowry and Hatton were losing so badly that when they reached the par-four, Lowry offered 16th Åberg a double or quit. “Sure,” Åberg told him, then hit a high fade that ended just short of the pin, leaving him with a 10-foot putt for the eagle. “For God’s sake,” Lowry said with a smile, then told the rookie to put the money toward buying that new car he was eyeing.

Ryder Cup winnings smell so good

The tent village at the Ryder Cup is a golf apalooza, Glastonbury for hackers. There is a place to practice your long putting, another for your chipping, a place where PGA technicians analyze your swing for you and of course the merchandise palace. Inside, among the hats and collection of shirts and trousers, a bottle of Ryder Cup Salento Tormaresca rosé goes for €23 (£20), a Ryder Cup bathrobe €60, a gold-plated Ryder Cup tie slipper €70, and a bottle of Ryder Cup “Green Swing” fragrance for men worth €100. If you spend enough time there, the whole tournament starts to feel like an elaborate way to beat the shit out of you.