OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Robert MacIntyre likes to lean on that old chestnut: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
The unassuming Scotsman is a few inches shorter than Scottie Scheffler, and it’s a similar story when you compare their resumes. Yet it’s MacIntyre who is one round away from a wire-to-wire victory at the BMW Championship.
MacIntyre drained a 41-foot, left-to-right birdie putt at the 18th hole of Caves Valley Golf Club on Saturday, ensuring he’ll carry a four-stroke advantage over the World No. 1 into the final round.
MacIntyre posted a 2-under-par 68 to climb to 16-under 194 at the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Where MacIntyre’s first two rounds featured birdies in bunches, his third round was about keeping Scheffler at arm’s length.
“Every save, every shot is a prisoner for me,” MacIntyre said. “Yeah, that shot there is no more important than that one I’ve hit on 18, any of the shots I’ve hit today. I’ve played beautifully all week, so it’s just about continuing that going into tomorrow.”
Playing in the final pairing with MacIntyre, Scheffler managed a 3-under 67 but never got closer than three shots of the lead. He and MacIntyre will play in the final pairing again Sunday.
“I think Bob has got a four-shot lead going into tomorrow and it’s up to me,” Scheffler said. “He’s playing some great golf, and it’s up to me to go out there and chase him down.”
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden is alone in third at 10 under after he sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the last hole to shoot 68. Sam Burns and Englishman Harry Hall both shot 67 and are tied for fourth at 8 under, while Maverick McNealy and England’s Tommy Fleetwood are another shot back after matching 69s.
Rickie Fowler rolled in five birdies in a round of 67, moving to 6 under and a tie for eighth with Michael Kim (70) and Norway’s Viktor Hovland (69).
MacIntyre recovered from an opening bogey by birdieing Nos. 4 and 9; he also made a difficult par save at the par-4 fifth hole in which he punched out of a heavily-treed native area.
Scheffler made three birdies through 11 holes but was caught up in a greenside bunker on No. 12 and made his only bogey. He got the stroke back at No. 14 with an 18-foot birdie putt.
MacIntyre followed Scheffler with a par putt, and in an eye-catching move with the Ryder Cup six weeks away, he appeared to shush pro-Scheffler American fans.
“He was just jeering. He was shouting I missed it, pushed it,” MacIntyre said. “Pushed it right in the middle of the hole, I guess.”
At the next hole, the Scotsman flighted a perfect bunker shot to 2 feet of the cup for a tap-in par, and he converted another par from the sand at the par-5 16th. The pressure and the pro-Scheffler sentiment certainly didn’t seem to affect him.
“It started on the first tee,” MacIntyre said. “It probably started when I walked down to the range. It ain’t bothering me.
The tournament is likely down to MacIntyre, Scheffler and possibly Aberg, but for many here, the bigger chase is in the FedEx Cup standings.
The top 30 players in points at the end of the tournament will advance to the Tour Championship next week. Akshay Bhatia — who had a hole-out eagle and a hole-in-one amid a round of 66 Saturday — is No. 28 in the live projections, Kim is No. 29 and South Korea’s Sungjae Im is No. 30.
The first man out in the projected standings is Chris Gotterup, followed by Fowler.
“Not in a bad spot,” Fowler said. “We obviously have a chance going into tomorrow. In a way, I’d much rather be on the outside looking in. I know what I need to go do, versus maybe being inside (the top 30) trying to protect type of thing.”
Bhatia’s hole-in-one came at the 227-yard 17th hole. His 5-iron tee shot landed just short of the pin and rolled into the cup.
“The wind was straight off the left, so it was a perfect 5-iron,” Bhatia said. “I could draw it, which is nice. Again, that’s a hole you’re just trying to hit it front of the green to back of the green. But I told myself just don’t be afraid to hit it, execute it, because it’s easy to bail out there.
“When that golf ball goes in, it was the craziest thing in the world … I couldn’t even feel my body.”
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
