MacIntyre leads by three at BMW Championship

Stimpmeter · August 15, 2025, 9:00am

Robert MacIntyre used a red-hot putter to birdie the last six holes and surge to a three-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in Maryland on Thursday.

The Scot delivered a masterclass on the rain-soaked greens at Caves Valley after an afternoon thunderstorm halted play for more than two hours.

“The last six holes is probably as good as I’ve ever putted in a stretch of holes, just so consistent,” MacIntyre said after posting an eight-under-par 62. “When you get the eye on, it’s free flowing and it’s nice.”

His late burst carried him past world No 1 Scottie Scheffler – who was in the clubhouse on four-under 66 and ended the day alone in third. Fleetwood overtook him with a 33-foot birdie at the 18th to cap a 65.

Two under after his 2nd bogey of the day on the 12th, MacIntyre poured in a 66-foot birdie putt at the par-three 13th to launch his closing run. He followed with a 40-footer at the 14th and a 17-foot birdie at the 15th.

He fired out of the rough to 12 feet at the 16th and curled in that birdie putt, then drained a 22-footer at the tough par-three 17th. MacIntyre capped his round with a five-foot birdie at the 18th.

The 29-year-old’s longest birdie streak on the PGA Tour – beating his previous mark of four straight – helped him match his career-low round on Tour.

MacIntyre, who finished runner-up to JJ Spaun at the US Open in June, said he’d learned during the final-round rain delay at Oakmont and kept himself warmed up during Thursday’s delay.

“It came at a tough time, but it gave the course a little more to us,” he said. “The greens were really slick early on when they were dry. When I went back out, they felt a little bit slower, a little bit smoother.”

Fleetwood had five birdies in a bogey-free round, bouncing back after a late fade on Sunday saw him come up short in his latest bid for a first US Tour title at the St Jude Championship.

Scheffler, whose four victories this season include Major triumphs at the PGA Championship and The Open, got off to a strong start with three birdies in the first four holes.

After back-to-back bogeys at the 9th and 10th, he birdied three of his last four – drilling a 16-foot putt at the 15th and a five-footer at the 16th before draining a 26-foot birdie at the last.

Scheffler said the course was “significantly softer” after the storm delay.

“Golf course definitely got a bit easier but did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I had left,” Scheffler said.

Fifty players are in the field this week and Scheffler, the leader in the playoff points race, is already assured of making it into the 30-player field for next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Rory McIlroy, world No 2 and 2nd in the playoff standings, who opted to skip the first playoff event, carded an “awful” even-par 70 that featured three bogeys and three birdies.

“Drove the ball terribly,” the Northern Ireland star said.

It was a tough day for Justin Rose, who edged Spaun in a playoff for the St Jude title in Memphis on Sunday. Two under through 10, he found the water at both the 11th and 12th on the way to a bogey and double-bogey, carding a one-over 71.

Photo: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images

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