Bob MacIntyre pulled aside by Masters officials after middle finger controversy

Robert MacIntyre has been reprimanded by the Masters officials after making a middle finger gesture during his first round.

The Scotsman endured a nightmare opening day at Augusta on Thursday, ending his first 18 holes with a score of +8.

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And it was on the 15th that his frustrations boiled over during his poor round, as he collapsed to a quadruple bogey.

MacIntyre’s first shot off the tee was perfect, but he found the water on his second effort on the par-5 hole.

He then took another shot from 220 yards and somehow found the water again before his next shot rolled off the green.

Flipped off

His reaction on-course clearly showed exactly how he was feeling about his struggles too, as he made a rude gesture.

As he watched his ball, MacIntyre stared in disbelief before sticking his middle finger up in the direction of the green.

Golfer etiquette is a key part of the Masters at Augusta National, with the club holding everyone to a high standard.

So, his actions caused many to worry about potential punishment ahead of starting his second round on Friday.

And the Masters officials did end up stepping in to speak to him.

According to The Scotsman, the 29-year-old was reprimanded by officials following his behaviour during his first round.

He is said to have been reminded of the strict code of conduct.

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MacIntyre was also told off for his actions earlier on in his opening round too, as he was caught swearing on course-side mics.

The current World No.8 slammed his club to the turf too, venting his frustration on the 17th hole following a seemingly poor shot.

He chose not to speak to the media after his round.

Nightmare continues

MacIntyre’s nightmare at the Masters somehow managed to get even worse on his first hole on Friday.

He returned to the course with a double bogey on 1, despite teeing off perfectly with a 282-yard drive.

His second shot landed in the greenside bunker, before he failed to get out of the sand with his third effort.

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MacIntyre managed to get out on his fourth attempt, but it left him a long putt to make bogey on the par-4.

And after missing that, he tapped in a double bogey to drop to +10 and into the bottom five players in the leaderboard.

It means he’s set to miss the cut ahead of the weekend’s action.