THERE are a heck of a lot of things to think about in golf. For some of us, the sheer volume of doom-laden thoughts flooding a feeble mind can lead to the kind of disastrous decision making usually reserved for a panic-stricken pheasant darting about the grass verges of a busy A-road.
As for Euan McIntosh? Well, the decision he made to return to the amateur ranks in an effort to bolster his ambitions of a second coming as a professional on the over-50s circuit raised one or two eyebrows. “I think some people may have thought I was nuts,” he reflected with a wry chortle. “Maybe I did too?”
Nobody is thinking that now, of course. A maiden victory on the Legends Tour – formerly the European Senior Tour – in Austria last weekend was a thrilling reward for the 53-year-old’s drive and renewed dedication.
“I think it’s my first professional win since I won on the German Pro Golf Tour back in 2002,” he added. “Crikey, that’s 20 years between wins.”
Time flies. During those 20 years, McIntosh, who originally turned professional back in 1990, gave up golf for a spell then regained his amateur status. One of his first rounds back in the unpaid game was a shuddering 90 in a local medal at Turnhouse. What was he saying about the decision being nuts again?
Unbowed, McIntosh got the head down and put in the hard yards in his defiant, determined quest for improvement and fulfilment. At the age of 49 in 2018, the Glasgow-born golfer won the Scottish Amateur Championship, the oldest winner in over 30 years. Galvanised by that conquest, he made it through the Legends Tour’s qualifying school in 2020 and turned professional for a second time. Among the golden oldies, McIntosh savoured a silver lining with a first win last Sunday. It's been quite the journey.
“I was very determined to do this because I knew the mistakes I’d made that had stopped me competing when I first turned pro at 20, 21,” he said. “I had the ability but it was the other stuff that was sadly lacking. Mentally, I was nowhere near the standard required and I just didn’t dedicate myself. This time, I’m doing it the right way.
“The key to golf is to keep learning every single time you play. And you do. That’s the beauty of the game. You learn all the time. Getting my tour card and now winning has vindicated my decision to go for it again.”
The winning habit is something McIntosh got back into during a purposeful, rewarding spell as an amateur. In addition to the national title, he also enjoyed a Tennant Cup win, a couple of Leven Gold Medal triumphs and plenty of flirtations at the sharp end of affairs in various events on the circuit.
“Some people say winning at amateur golf is not the same as professional golf,” McIntosh said. “But winning is winning at any level. You have to get it done. And not everybody does it. When you are in contention, you can go back to certain times and draw on experiences. With a couple of holes to play, the body might want to jump out of its skin and disappear but the mind finds a way to keep calm. If your mind is clear, you can do things and I used the experience I had gained from amateur golf last Sunday. I felt comfortable when it came to the crunch.”
Against a field of former European Tour winners and past Ryder Cup campaigners, McIntosh, whose rookie season on the over-50s circuit was wiped put by the pandemic, knocked off a memorable success worth £32,000 in just his 10th start on senior service.
“I think it was going to be hard to top the Scottish Amateur win just because of my age at the time and all the nostalgia involved,” added McIntosh. “I put this win on the Legends Tour alongside it. They are different kinds of win but I’m unbelievably proud to have achieved both.”
The land of milk and honey that is the Champions Tour in the US remains the ultimate goal for McIntosh. “At this age, though, you never know how long your competitive window will be open,” he said. “There could be injuries too. Not many sports allow you a fresh start on your 50s so you just have to make hay while the sun shines.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here