Robert MacIntyre Fires Five-Under 66 At RBC Heritage After Augusta National Criticism

Robert MacIntyre returned to PGA Tour play after criticism of his Masters behaviour by firing a five-under 66 at the RBC Heritage on Thursday, with the BBC and GB News both tying the comeback to his response to the Augusta National controversy.

The BBC said MacIntyre, 29, missed the cut at the first major of the year after shooting rounds of 80 and 71, and it described how he directed a middle-finger gesture towards the 15th green after a quadruple bogey in his opening round.

BBC

GB News similarly described his opening-round “disastrous” unraveling, including a quadruple-bogey nine on the par-five 15th hole and audible expletives picked up by on-course microphones.

Both outlets also linked the RBC Heritage start to his attempt to reset after last week’s frustration, with the BBC noting he was “three shots behind leader Ludvig Aberg.”

In his Sky Sports interview, MacIntyre said, “I know what I did isn’t the best way of me doing things, but I wear my heart on my sleeve,” and he added, “I’m trying my best to control the emotions.”

GB News reported the same Sky Sports remarks and framed them as his first words since Augusta, while the BBC emphasized that he had declined to speak to the media during the Masters.

After Harbour Town, the BBC reported that MacIntyre felt his game was in a good place, citing “six birdies and a solitary bogey” as part of the five-under start.

The sources describe MacIntyre’s Masters behaviour as a sequence of frustration visible on-course and captured by cameras, beginning with his opening-round collapse and ending with reprimands from Augusta National officials.

The BBC reported that his tournament “unravelled” after he made a quadruple bogey and then “slammed his club into the ground after a poor shot on 17,” while it also said he was “repeatedly heard swearing by on-course microphones.”

BBC

It added that he posted a mocked-up picture on Instagram of a gnome resembling himself with an extended middle finger, and it said the Press Association reported he was reprimanded by Augusta National officials for his actions.

GB News provided more detail on the same day, saying his “tournament unravelled during a disastrous opening round” that included “a quadruple-bogey nine on the par-five 15th hole,” and it described him “directed an obscene gesture towards the hazard” after finding the water twice with approach shots.

GB News also said he was seen driving his club forcefully into the turf on both the 14th and 17th holes, and it stated that “Augusta National officials subsequently reprimanded MacIntyre for his conduct during the opening round.”

HITC Sport echoed the reprimand and said he was reprimanded after he “flipped up his middle finger in the direction of the cameras on the 15th hole,” while it also referenced criticism for smashing his club into the ground on the 14th and 17th holes.

Across the coverage, the same core elements recur: the 15th green middle-finger gesture, the quadruple-bogey nine, the club-smashing at 14 and 17, and the reprimand by Augusta National officials.

In the aftermath, MacIntyre’s own account of how he processes the Augusta fallout centers on emotion control, family and team support, and his view that criticism elsewhere does not affect him.

“- Published Scotland's Robert MacIntyre insists he is not fazed by criticism of his behaviour at the Masters, but says he is working to keep his emotions in check”

BBC

The BBC quoted him telling Sky Sports that he “wear[s] my heart on my sleeve,” while also saying, “I’m trying my best to control the emotions - I work with someone back home.”

He described the week as having “a lot going on” and said he was “disappointed with that,” but he stopped short of apologising while insisting he can put things behind him.

The BBC reported that he said, “I’m very good at putting things behind me, things that get said elsewhere don't faze me,” and it added that he believes he has the right set-up to perform well as he seeks a third PGA Tour victory.

GB News presented the same core quotes and framed them as his first words since the incident, including his line, “Yeah, there’s a lot going on and disappointed with that, but I’m very good at putting things behind me.”

GB News also included his emphasis that his inner circle is the main guidance, quoting him: “I’ve got my family, friends and my team, these guys are the ones that I really listen to and, you know, if I’ve done something wrong, they’ll tell me.”

Bunkered.co.uk’s account of the interview repeated the same “wear my heart on my sleeve” and “control the emotions” lines and added that he acknowledged his behaviour was “below par” while still insisting on his approach to life and performance.

While the underlying facts of MacIntyre’s Masters conduct and his RBC Heritage round are shared across outlets, the coverage diverges in emphasis, including how each outlet characterizes the incident and what it highlights about his response.

The BBC focuses on his insistence he is “not fazed by criticism of his behaviour at the Masters,” and it pairs that with a detailed description of his Masters actions and his post-Masters reset, including his Instagram gnome image and the Press Association report that he was reprimanded.

Daily Express

GB News leads with the idea that he “hits back at critics” and frames his Sky Sports comments as “first words since incident,” while it also stresses his “impressive opening round at the RBC Heritage” and places him “sitting just three strokes behind early pacesetter Ludvig Aberg.”

HITC Sport similarly centers “first time since his appalling behavior at Augusta National,” and it highlights that he “broke his silence” after ducking out of media duties at Augusta National following his missed cut.

Bunkered.co.uk’s framing is more explicitly about his emotional state, describing him as “Disappointed” and noting he was “given a code of conduct reminder” after getting “visibly frustrated” at Augusta National.

The BBC and GB News both mention his refusal to be drawn into media obligations at Augusta National, but the BBC says he “declined to speak to the media during the Masters,” while GB News says he “avoided all media obligations at Augusta National.”

Even the way the Masters behaviour is described varies, with the BBC using “middle-finger gesture” and “slammed his club,” while GB News uses “obscene gesture” and “driving his club forcefully into the turf.”

Beyond MacIntyre’s own interview, the sources also place his Masters conduct within a broader discussion of consequences and discipline at Augusta National, including the possibility of invite-related repercussions.

The Mirror reports that MacIntyre “has been warned that officials at Augusta National could revoke his Masters invite in 2027 as a result of his behaviour at this year's major,” and it ties that warning to the “code of conduct reminder” he received as he missed the cut and became “visibly frustrated.”

ESPN

The Mirror’s account also reiterates the same incident details, stating he was “issued a code of conduct reminder” and “was also spotted giving the middle finger to the 15th green,” and it connects the warning to his behaviour in Georgia.

In the same Mirror piece, the outlet also discusses Rory McIlroy’s conduct and the possibility of an invite being revoked for others, stating that “two stars are facing the consequences for their actions at Augusta National.”

The Mirror says McIlroy became “just the fourth player to successfully defend the title on Sunday,” and it quotes Brandel Chamblee on X defending McIlroy’s Masters preparation, including the line, “Every single professional player who qualified for the Masters could go early and play as many practice rounds as they wish.”

The Mirror also includes Sergio Garcia’s apology, quoting Garcia’s statement: “I want to apologise for my actions on Sunday at the Masters tournament,” and it says Geoff Yang “then intervened and handed him a code of conduct warning.”

While these additional cases are not about MacIntyre directly, they show the disciplinary framework described by the Mirror as extending to multiple players, with MacIntyre singled out for a potential 2027 invite revocation.