MacIntyre may end season over Middle East fears

Robert MacIntyre may have played his final event of the season because of ongoing uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East.

Scotland's top golfer finished tied for sixth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday, having won the title 12 months ago.

The 30-year-old will not play in this week's Spanish Open and currently has no plans to compete in India or South Korea before the DP World Tour's season-ending events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November.

MacIntyre says he will wait to see how conflicts in the Middle East develop before deciding whether to play in either event.

Fellow Ryder Cup player Matt Fitzpatrick has also expressed doubts about travelling to the region, but world number two Rory McIlroy has confirmed he intends to play in both events.

"This is potentially the end of my season right here," MacIntyre told BBC Scotland after his final round at the Dunhill Links.

"I feel like it's been a good year. It's been a learning curve, trying to manage life outside of golf and life on the golf course. It's been a great year.

"I don't even know when the cut-off is. It'll probably be the week before it. I'll literally sit and wait and see what's going on in the Middle East. Then I'll make a decision.

"If I'm in the tournament, I'm in the tournament. Then I'll make a decision."

MacIntyre said he could still play in the Bahamas in December, but that decision would depend on how his preparations for next season progress.

"Right now, before I was playing today, I'll probably play in the Bahamas in December, see how my work's been getting on," he said. "We'll make a decision on that at the end of the time.

"It's going to be a quiet two-and-a-bit months, I think.

"Try and lose a bit of weight. Get in the gym. Do a bit to the house. Hopefully build a simulator at the house. Life's good."

Whatever decision he makes, MacIntyre will return to St Andrews next summer when the Old Course hosts the 155th Open Championship.

The world number 19's top-six finish this week suggests he is finally beginning to appreciate the demands of the famous course.

The Old Course has undergone a number of changes in recent years, including new bunkers and tees on some holes.

"I love the town - I've always said that," MacIntyre said. "We come here on family holidays. St Andrews is a special, special place.

"The golf course was never my favourite, but it's starting to grow on me. A lot of people have said that, the more you play it, the more you start to enjoy it.

"Obviously, the success has helped that. I'm starting to see things where I can push a little bit more up off the tee shots on certain holes or other holes.

"So I'm starting to work it out."