Robert MacIntyre Earns Emotional Win With Dad On The Bag, Yuka Saso Makes History, Member Guest Week Is Here

The RBC Canadian Open may not be among the most highly-anticipated events on the PGA Tour schedule, but the tournament up North sure knows how to deliver a finish. Robert MacIntyre earning his first win on Tour may not excite the casual golf fan, but you add his greenskeeper dad caddying for him this week and the emotions they both showed after getting the job done, and you've got one of the coolest golf stories of the year thus far.

On the women's side, Yuka Saso picked up her second U.S. Women's Open victory at Lancaster Country Club. Your two wins on the LPGA Tour being U.S. Women's Opens before turning 23 years old isn't too bad of an accomplishment.

Finally, and definitely most importantly, it's member guest week for Team Harris. We're out for blood this year after an embarrassing performance in 2023, but more on that later.

Robert MacIntyre And His Old Man Share Emotional Win In Canada

After a more than admirable performance in the 2023 Ryder Cup for Team Europe, expectations were relatively high for Robert MacIntyre heading into the 2024 season, his first full campaign on the PGA Tour. However, inconsistency and frustration have been a common theme for the Scot just as it is for more rookies out on Tour.

Heading into this week's RBC Canadian Open, MacIntyre had 15 starts under his belt with three Top 10 finishes, but also seven missed cuts. It's been a season filled with highs, and even some moments of being in contention only to be followed by a mysterious missed cut.

After a pair of Top 15 finishes in Myrtle Beach and Valhalla, MacIntyre missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge and elected to part ways with his caddie. He made a few phone calls to find a replacement, but after they went unanswered he turned to his father, Dougie, who is a full-time greenskeeper back in MacIntyre's hometown of Oban, Scotland.

As great dads do, Dougie dropped everything for his son and made his way to Canada. The week that unfolded was, quite literally, a dream come true for the two MacIntyre men. 

The golf MacIntyre played all week speaks for itself. He entered Sunday's final round with a four-shot advantage on the rest of the field. He started the final round with a shaky bogey on the opening hole, and never looked entirely comfortable over the course of the next five hours, but earned a one-shot victory for his first victory on the PGA Tour.

As odd as it may seem, the golf isn't what's worth talking about. It's the handful of minutes after MacIntyre made par on the 72nd hole that is everything. A son winning on the game's biggest of stages with his dad on the bag - the man who taught him the game of golf - being able to share that moment feels more like the script of a movie than real life.

The $1.6 million paycheck, a secured Tour card, or the many exemptions earned weren't on MacIntyre's mind on Sunday. The only thing that mattered was sharing a winning moment with his dad.

MacIntyre's father could barely speak he was so emotional. You're not human if your eyes don't swell up when hearing Dougie say "I'm a grass cutter" before choking up.

Yuka Saso's Resume Is Short, But Elite

Yuka Saso had to wait three years between her lone two LPGA Tour wins, but when those two wins happen to be at the U.S. Women's Open, that patience is well worth it.

In 2021, Saso matched Inbee Park as the youngest golfer to win the U.S. Women's Open as both players were exactly 19 years, 11 months, and 17 days old at the time of their respective victories. Fast-forward three years, and Saso is now the youngest two-time U.S. Women's Open champion getting her hands on the Harton S. Semple Trophy yet again 18 days before turning 23.

Everything about Saso's win on Sunday was impressive. She began the day three shots off the lead, and while the overwhelming majority of players within striking distance of the lead struggled mightily on Sunday, Saso carded a 2-under 68 to win the tournament by three shots.

Standing on the 72nd green with trophy in hand, Saso could barely speak given the emotion she showed when speaking about her family.

Saso ‘gifted’ her 2021 U.S. Women's Open win to her mother, and now she could gift her second to her father. She was the first golfer from the Philippines - her mother's country of origin - to win the U.S. Women's Open in 2021 before deciding to solely represent her father's native Japan months later.

Let's Hear It For Member Guest Week

Member Guest week, also known as the best weekend of the year, has finally arrived for yours truly. A short recap of last year is our team going for the highest amount in our flight in the Calcutta before playing some of the most embarrassing golf we could muster for two straight days en route to a third-place finish in the first flight.

I'd like to say my game is dialed at the moment, but I've taken the interesting approach of playing twice in the past month leading up to the event, but to my credit, I haven't been padding my handicap with bogus scores. We're sitting at a 3.0, should probably be closer to a 4.5 or 5.0, but we're not making excuses.

The strategy this year is to not get carried away with the spectacle of the thing. It's three straight days of all-you-can-eat and drink, and it's way too easy to sink into the ‘let’s just have fun' mode instead of ‘hey, let's destroy these guys and win a large chunk of cash mode.'

I'll report back on Monday about how myself and the old man did, but in the meantime, email me some of your favorite stories or memories from your own member guests. Maybe we'll do a round-up of some of the best, or I'lll be sure to share some takeaways in next week's edition of Par Talk. The email is mark.harris@outkick.com.