Monster birdie gives heckled Robert MacIntyre four-stroke BMW Championship lead
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Leader Robert MacIntyre reacts after sinking a putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Robert MacIntyre closed with a 41-foot birdie putt to grab a four-stroke lead over top-ranked Scottie Scheffler after the third round of the BMW Championship on Aug 16.
The Scot, runner-up to J.J. Spaun at June’s US Open, fired a two-under 68 to stand on 16-under 194 after 54 holes at Caves Valley in suburban Baltimore.
“The day was tough,” MacIntyre said. “It wasn’t the plain sailing of the first two days, but I thought I managed it well.
“It was steady. Holed some nice par putts, missed a couple of chances I felt I could have got, but the pins were absolutely brutal.”
As for his electrifying final putt, MacIntyre said: “Holing that putt is a massive boost going into tomorrow. That one shot is everything out here.”
American star Scheffler, whose four victories this season include Major triumphs at the PGA Championship and British Open, fired a 67 to finish on 198, but clutch putting by MacIntyre kept him from closing the gap as they battled down the back nine.
“I did some good stuff out there. I would have liked to have been a little sharper with my irons,” said Scheffler.
“I did a good job of staying patient. Would have liked to make a few more birdies, but overall for how I was hitting it, not a terrible score.”
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg was third on 200 after shooting 68, with England’s Harry Hall (67) and American Sam Burns (67) on 202, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood (69) and American Maverick McNealy (69) on 203.
MacIntyre’s two PGA wins came in 2024 at the Canadian and Scottish Opens, the Canada victory coming after his only previous 54-hole lead.
The 29-year-old shushed a heckler with a par putt at the 14th hole.
“He was just jeering. He was just shouting I missed it – he’s pushed it. Pushed it right in the middle of the hole, I guess,” MacIntyre said.
He warned he is not one to be heckled, adding: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog and I grew up fighting to be in this position.”
The BMW is the second FedExCup play-off event, with the top 30 in season points advancing to next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
American Akshay Bhatia, battling for one of the last spots in Atlanta, aced the 227-yard par-three 17th hole with a five-iron. He shot 66 to stand on 210 thanks in part to his first PGA hole-in-one and his sixth overall.
“When that golf ball goes in, it was the craziest thing in the world,” Bhatia said. “I couldn’t even feel my body.”
Bhatia said he will give the BMW he won for the ace to his caddie. AFP
