Robert MacIntyre kicked up a storm at Augusta. Multiple foul-mouthed outbursts and an offensive one-fingered gesture later, the Scotsman was at the epicenter of controversy. Now, a source sheds new light on the incident. The root cause of his indecent conduct might be something entirely different from his behavioral issues.

The Oban native played 30 holes on Sunday due to the weather delay at the Valero Texas Open a week before. He managed a T2 still, but later in the gym session, he injured his neck. As per The Scotsman, MacIntyre was ready to pull out of the Masters altogether. He arrived at Augusta but couldn’t play a practice round on Tuesday.

MacIntyre was actually slated to tee off at the Par-3 contest but eventually pulled out. His team informed the Masters officials about the situation. The neck injury caused considerable trouble and broke his momentum. Despite being 9th on the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, MacIntyre’s wayward drives resulted in a missed cut. That appears to be the reason why he lost his cool.

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At the 12th, Robert MacIntyre dropped a loud F-bomb. The very next hole, he repeated it. And on the 15th, after his approach shot ended up in the water, MacIntyre showed the finger in the general direction of the ball. But it wasn’t just the quadruple bogey that troubled him in the first round.

MacIntyre also showed signs of struggle throughout the week. While paired with Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland for the first two rounds, it was likely that the neck injury was always on his mind as he tried to protect himself from further damage throughout Thursday. The divided focus might have been the reason behind his horrid performance in the first round.

He shot an 8-over 80 to kick off the first major. The quadruple bogey on the par-5 15th hole played a huge role in it. He had also scored a double bogey on the 9th hole. At the other end, he could only manage one birdie to bring his score under control. In the end, he was too embarrassed by his performance, the offensive gesture, and the early exit to even give an interview to the media. The Masters officials also confirmed taking disciplinary action against him.

There hasn’t been any official statement from the Scotsman. Interestingly enough, the Scotsman later shared on Instagram an AI-generated image of his infamous gesture in the vein of the Masters Gnome. However, while injuries may have been the primary reason behind his exit this week, he has never really found his groove at Augusta National.

Robert MacIntyre’s struggles in the Masters Tournament

This was Robert MacIntyre’s fourth appearance in the Masters Tournament. He hasn’t been able to consistently qualify for the major in the past. He made his first couple of visits to Augusta National in 2021 and 2022. It took him three years before he returned to the major event last year.

On his return to the iconic course last year, MacIntyre struggled to perform well. He was able to tackle the challenge in 2021 and 2022, finishing T12 and T23, respectively. However, with a 6-over par, he missed the cut in the tournament in 2025. So while he may have been injured this year, his poor performance can’t completely be blamed on his health condition. Because this was his second consecutive missed cut in the Masters Tournament.

It’s not clear when Robert MacIntyre will tee off next. The next PGA Tour event, RBC Heritage, is scheduled for April 16. Last year, he finished T66 at Harbour Town Golf Links.