Former McNeese golfer Robert MacIntyre ties for 12th at The Masters

Former McNeese Cowboy golfer Robert MacIntyre became the first Cowboy linksman to play in The Masters Tournament this weekend.

On Sunday, he qualified for next year’s event after tying for 12th on the leaderboard with a 2-under par four-round score, pocketing $218,500 in the process.

MacIntyre, who was named the Southland Conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2014, has always played fearless and stone cold, not letting anything shake his focus.

That happened in Sunday’s final round when the Scotland native needed to make a birdie on the 18th hole to finish in a tie for 12th place and earn an automatic qualification to next year’s Major. He calmly sank the 15-foot put for the bird to finish the round at even par and 2-under for the tournament, tying him with Webb Simpson, Stewart Cink, Kevin Na, Si Woo Kim, and Brian Harman.

“The way I play golf, it’s aggressive,” said MacIntyre after Saturday’s third round. “No matter where I play or who I’m playing with, I’m going after things. The way my scorecard goes, it’s a roller coaster, and it’s the way I play golf.

“I’m not here just to make up the numbers. I’m here because I got here on merit, and I’m here to win a golf tournament. If I wasn’t trying to win this golf tournament, I’d be sitting at home with my feet up watching it.”

On Sunday, MacIntyre bogeyed the first hole of the round then double-bogeyed the par 3 sixth hole to go 3-over for the round. He settled in and birdied four of his next nine holes to get to 1-under for the round while moving into a tie for ninth place. He bogeyed 16 and 17 to go back to 1-over. He followed with a clutch birdie on the final hole.

It’s believed MacIntyre’s finish is the highest by any former Southland Conference player in league history.