HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre — with father Dougie at his side as his caddie and a noisy television drone close by at times, too — held on to win the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.
Four strokes ahead entering the final round at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, MacIntyre shot a 2-under 68 to beat playing partner Ben Griffin by a stroke. On the par-4 18th, the 27-year-old Scottish left-hander two-putted for par from 12 feet, holing out from 1½ feet.
“Goose bumps. It’s incredible,” MacIntyre said. “It’s a dream of mine to play golf for a living. It’s been a dream of mine to win on the PGA Tour. … I just can’t believe I done it with my dad on the bag. The guy’s taught me the way I play golf.”
MacIntyre finished at 16-under 264 for the breakthrough victory in his 45th career PGA Tour start. The former McNeese State player was a member of Europe’s winning 2023 Ryder Cup team and has two European tour victories, the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and 2022 Italian Open.
“I was in a dog fight there,” MacIntyre said. “Obviously, Ben made it difficult coming in the stretch. He played well. It’s just incredible to do this with my dad on the bag and have my girlfriend here, and I’m sure there’s a party going on back home in Oban.”
MacIntyre was agitated by a television drone he thought was too close and loud.
“If it didn’t go away, I was going to start throwing my clubs at it,” MacIntyre said. “That’s how annoyed I was getting. … I mean, it’s a big wasp. I asked them to get rid of it. They did.”
MacIntyre turned to his father on an emergency basis after going through a series of caddies in the past year.
“This week, when I phoned him to come and caddie for me, to be honest, I was just coming here to play a golf tournament,” MacIntyre said. “There was no expectation, there was a lot going on with visas and stuff during the week and to win it with him on the bag is just — to be honest, I still can’t believe that it happened.”
It was an emotional victory for both.
“Everything that I’ve done in my life has been with the support of my family,” MacIntyre said. “The game of golf was kind of passed down the generations. I got it from my dad. … We’ve got a house between where you cross the road for four holes over the road at Glencruitten and we used to go out every night in the summer, no matter the weather. We would play four holes every night. He taught me the game of golf.”
“Unbelievable,” an emotional Dougie MacIntyre said of being a part of his son’s victory, during a televised interview with CBS Sports. “I’m a grass cutter … it’s unbelievable.”
Griffin had a 65. He parred the 18th after birdieing the previous three holes.
“I fought hard,” Griffin said. “It felt like there was a lid on the cup for most of the day for me. I hit so many pretty good putts, I wouldn’t say like striped putts, but pretty good putts and just kept burning edges. A couple bad putts, but stayed patient.”
Victor Perez of France was third at 14 under after his second straight 64.
Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy also shot 64 to tie for fourth with Tom Kim (64) at 13 under. McIlroy won in 2019 — the last time the tournament was in Hamilton — and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.
“Three really good rounds of golf, one not so good one,” McIlroy said. “Felt a little out of sorts on Friday. Did a good range session and sort of rectified it.”
Corey Conners was the top Canadian, shooting a 65 to reach 12 under.
“Definitely something to be proud of,” Conners said. “Yeah, obviously disappointing to not win the big trophy, but, yeah, it’s a cool honor.”
Fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, tied for second entering the day, was another shot back after a 70.
“Pretty gutted,” Hughes said. “I wanted this one pretty badly. … This one will sting for a while.”
Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.