When Robert MacIntyre’s coach, David Burns, suggested to his pupil that he should head out to the Middle East for some competitive action on the MENA Tour instead of “sitting on his a*** in Oban” it seemed a reasonable proposal.

After MacIntyre began his professional career with a shuddering 78 in an event in Jordan, however, we can only assume the 22-year-old was wishing he was still parked on his posterior back home. Golf has always been a funny old game, though.

With the kind of mighty salvage operation that raised the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow, MacIntyre roared back to finish third overall before winning a week later in Kuwait in just his second outing in the paid ranks. A year on, the Glencruitten left-hander is on the cusp of the European Tour.

His play-off defeat in the Foshan Open in China at the weekend, his second extra-hole loss of the Challenge Tour season, still thrust him into 13th place on the second-tier circuit’s rankings and inside a top-15 spot required to earn promotion to the main tour.

With just next week’s Grand Final in Ras Al Khaimah to come, MacIntyre’s destiny is in his own hands. For ­Kingsfield-based swing guru Burns, who is also fine tuning the workings of Stephen Gallacher, MacIntyre’s fairly rapid rise has not come as a surprise.

“He’s a quiet lad but he’s a pit bull

on the course,” said Burns. “He’s tenacious, he’s not scared of winning and he loves being in the hunt. I have no fears about him long term. He’s just turned 22 and he has a hell of a chance. He’s ticking just about every box for me apart from the putting. But that’s what were are working on.

“I’ve been with him for two years and we have made loads of changes. He came to me and by his own admission he was stagnating as an amateur. He was almost scared to use a driver. Now the driver is probably his biggest asset.

“Technically, he’s miles better. He’s a good pupil, a great listener and he’s not surprised me with what he has done so far. To be honest, I would

have been disappointed if he wasn’t challenging for a top-15 place, even in his first year. He doesn’t want to let it slip now.”

MacIntyre’s maiden season on the ultra-competitive Challenge Tour didn’t get off to the best of starts when he was forced to withdraw from the very first event of the campaign in Kenya due to illness. The fact that ­tournament is the richest on the circuit, with a purse of some £450,000, only heightened his feeling of wretchedness.

“That was a huge blow and he was playing catch up,” added Burns. “That he’s got to where he is says a lot about him as a player and as a person. Even if he had kept his Challenge Tour card it would have been a good year but he is capable of much more.

“He hit the ground running as a

pro and that’s huge. The pound sign has not affected his game. In fact, it’s taken it up to another level.”

One final push in the UAE next week will take this “popular laddie” from Oban to the elite level of European golf.