European Ryder Cup golfer given warning about antics ahead of Bethpage showdown

Robert MacIntyre has been warned by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald his antics may not be the best approach for the showdown at Bethpage Black. 

Scotland's MacIntyre has gone from strength-to-strength since making his debut in the blue and gold at Marco Simone in Italy two years ago. 

The 29-year-old has surged up the world rankings to eighth thanks to his excellent displays in this year's major championships.

MacIntyre's form has even led to the heart-on-his-sleeve golfer tussling for his share of a $40m prize pot at the PGA Tour's season finale. 

The Oban man's second appearance in the Tour Championship follows a brutal near miss at the BMW Championship, where a mistake-laden final-round 73 left the door ajar for Scottie Scheffler. 

MacIntyre's week in Maryland also involved a heated exchange with a heckler, who told the golfer he pushed a putt during the third round. 

His response? A finger on the lips after holing his putt on the 14th hole at Caves Valley. "I'll give good back as I get," MacIntyre later said. 

Donald knows his dozen are likely to endure an atmosphere like never before when the 45th Ryder Cup gets underway on 26 September. 

And he doesn't believe MacIntyre's approach - although admirable - will ultimately be the best thing for the Scot or the team. 

Donald told reporters before the British Masters: "I'm going to have obviously all those conversations once the team is set, and I've had conversations with certain players already to just kind of mentally get ready for that cauldron, that atmosphere.

"That's something I've been thinking about since day one of the captaincy. That is going to be a major feat how we react to the crowds, and certainly less is more… it's just using it the right way."

MacIntyre took a little time to settle in Rome, but he ultimately delivered 1.5 points to Europe's total. 

His nervy start, Donald said, showed MacIntyre that he did not need to be at his best to compete. 

"I think Bob took a little time to get into it Friday and Saturday, really helped adjusting obviously, but he really grew in confidence with that relationship and held his own on Sunday," Donald said. 

"I think it just gave him the confidence to know that even though he maybe didn’t quite have his best that week he can still compete, and he’s gone on to win the Canadian Open and Scottish Open. He's a top, top player.

"You look at his stats, out of the 12 guys, statistically in Rome he was one of the weakest, and now he is one of the strongest. He has improved by leaps and bounds.

"You can see it in his game and you can see it in the belief he has in himself. 

"It's just really nice to see the Ryder Cup potentially have that effect, getting him to kick on and take his game to the next level."

Donald also revealed Europe's record points scorer, LIV Golf recruit Sergio Garcia, needs to show a little more if he wants to be involved. 

The 2017 Masters champion had a strong start to the season, but struggled as the campaign wore on. 

Five of Donald's six automatic qualifiers are now known, with Tyrrell Hatton and MacIntyre joining Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy. 

Only Rasmus Hojgaard can knock Shane Lowry out of the final automatic spot. The Dane needs a T29 finish this week. 

Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Sepp Straka are widely considered to be locks. 

The situation looks remarkably different to Donald's American counterpart.