OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Robert MacIntyre seized on a softer Caves Valley after a two-hour storm delay and rode the very best placing spherical of his yr with six straight birdies to submit an 8-under 62 for a three-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood within the BMW Championship on Thursday.
MacIntyre completed it with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th gap, and that was the simplest of his closing six birdies, the longest streak by any participant to finish a FedEx Cup playoff spherical because the inception of the playoffs in 2007. He holed a 65-foot birdie putt on the twelfth and adopted that from 40 toes.
And he stored going till he matched his low spherical on the PGA Tour and left everybody chasing after the opening spherical of the penultimate postseason occasion.
“The final six holes might be pretty much as good as I’ve ever putted in a stretch of holes,” mentioned MacIntyre, who completed with 195 toes, 2 inches of putts.
Scottie Scheffler was tied for the lead when he returned from the delay and birdied three of his closing 4 holes for a 66. Rickie Fowler was one other shot behind, a giant step towards making the Tour Championship for a shot on the FedEx Cup.
MacIntyre regarded unstoppable besides that he ran out of holes.
“Once I went again out, I had a 7-footer for birdie, which was going to set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon, and I rolled that in properly,” mentioned MacIntyre, who then rolled alongside fairly properly.
It was a unique course when the highest 50 within the FedEx Cup arrived at Caves Valley, which hosted the BMW Championship in 2021. Patrick Cantlay gained in a playoff over Bryson DeChambeau after each completed at 27-under 261.
Caves Valley has gone via a giant renovation, modified to a par 70, and it was enjoying robust sufficient that Viktor Hovland at 67 had the low rating of the morning earlier than darkish clouds and heavy rain pounded the course.
Softer greens made all of the distinction, however the 62 by MacIntyre was no much less spectacular. He additionally shot 62 on the Vacationers Championship final yr.
“The course was quite a bit softer, so we did have an opportunity of capturing a rating,” mentioned Fleetwood, who was on the sixteenth gap when MacIntyre completed. “Did he end with fairly just a few birdies, perhaps?”
Six of them.
“That helps,” Fleetwood mentioned with a smile.
It was a pleasant begin for Fleetwood, too, notably after one other robust ending final week when he had a two-shot lead with three holes to play and completed one shot out of a playoff on the FedEx St. Jude Championship in his bid for his first PGA Tour title.
The aim was to get again into rivalry as shortly as attainable. This was just one spherical, nevertheless it was a great begin. Fleetwood had one among solely two bogey-free rounds, the opposite belonging to Hideki Matsuyama (69).
“I have been a professional for — I do not know the way lengthy, I am not going to do the mathematics — however I’ve had my justifiable share of enjoying garbage,” Fleetwood mentioned. “I’ve spent weeks enjoying horrible. So, enjoying effectively and being in rivalry is a privilege. You have to take pleasure in these instances. So, whereas I am enjoying effectively, I am type of having fun with it as effectively.”
Scheffler performed with Rory McIlroy because the Nos. 1 and a pair of seeds, respectively, within the FedEx Cup, which implies nothing at this stage as a result of each one of many 30 gamers who advance to East Lake will begin from scratch as they play for the FedEx Cup.
McIlroy struggled off the tee, had three bogeys in six holes and pulled it collectively for a 70 that included eight straight pars on the finish. Scheffler wobbled a bit on the flip, twice lacking greens and failing to get up-and-down. However he had three birdies in 4 holes at the beginning, and three birdies in 4 holes on the finish.
“Golf course undoubtedly bought a bit simpler however did a great job of making the most of the holes I had left,” mentioned Scheffler, who posted his 14th consecutive spherical within the 60s.
Hovland got here into the BMW Championship at No. 28 within the FedEx Cup, proper on the bubble for being within the high 30 to achieve the Tour Championship. He figures good play will maintain that.
It was a extra important begin for Fowler, who barely bought into the highest 50. Ditto for Michael Kim and Jason Day, each outdoors the highest 40. They every shot 68.
Xander Schauffele, who has by no means missed the Tour Championship since he gained it as a rookie in 2017, may see that streak finish. He was at No. 43 and is looking, and it confirmed. He opened with 4 bogeys in six holes, battled again and closed with a double bogey for a 74.
Info from ESPN Analysis and The Related Press was used on this report.
