Robert MacIntyre fired a bogey-free six-under par 64 to grab a five-stroke lead over top-ranked Scottie Scheffler after Saturday’s second spherical of the US PGA Tour BMW Championship.
The 29-year-old Scotsman, who fired a PGA career-low 62 on Thursday as he closed with six straight birdies, birdied six in all for spherical two to face on 14-under 126 after 36 holes at Caves Valley in suburban Baltimore.
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“Nice two days’ work,” MacIntyre mentioned. “Should you depart your self in the proper positions you may be aggressive with the putts… I really feel like my iron play has been high drawer this week and simply proceed to try this.” Scheffler, the season factors chief, was subsequent on 131 after a 65 in his PGA-best thirteenth bogey-free spherical of the season.
“It was good to have a clear card right this moment, no bogeys,” Scheffler mentioned. “Did some good issues on the market. 5 pictures again going into the weekend isn’t too unhealthy with the best way Bob is enjoying proper now. Did a very good job to maintain inside shouting distance of him.” Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg birdied three of the final 5 holes to shoot 64 and stand second on 132, one stroke forward of Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama with England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Individuals Maverick McNealy and Michael Kim on 134.
MacIntyre, runner-up to J.J. Spaun at June’s US Open, managed his lowest opening 36-hole rating to par in a PGA occasion, three strokes higher than final 12 months at Myrtle Seashore.
“I’ve been working onerous,” MacIntyre mentioned. “I’ve been placing rather well for a very long time now. It was simply discovering the boldness within the tee to inexperienced recreation and I really feel like I’ve performed that.” MacIntyre, who started the day with a three-stroke lead over England’s Tommy Fleetwood with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler one other stroke adrift, began sturdy once more.
He sank a birdie putt from simply inside 5 toes on the first gap and rolled in a 17-footer for birdie on the par-five fourth.
“The way in which I’ve been rolling it, it’s not a shock,” MacIntyre mentioned of his sturdy begin.
He sank one other birdie putt from simply past seven toes on the seventh and at 11, MacIntyre rolled it to inside three toes of the opening and sank his brief birdie putt.
MacIntyre drained a 28-foot birdie putt on the 14th and reached the inexperienced in two on the par-five sixteenth to arrange a tap-in birdie.
“A low drive to remain in need of the bunker after which in all probability hit the longest three-wood I’ve had on tour, it was 281 (yards) to the entrance edge and I completely smashed it,” MacIntyre mentioned of his effort at 16.
“Left fairly a tough putt however the job is to not make three, the job is to make 4 and simply nudged it all the way down to the opening and knocked it in.”
– ‘Exhausting to moan an excessive amount of’ –
MacIntyre, whose two PGA wins got here final 12 months on the Canadian and Scottish Opens, is projected to leap from twentieth to 3rd on the season factors listing, with solely the highest 30 advancing from the BMW, the second FedEx Cup playoff occasion, to subsequent week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Scheffler, whose 4 victories this season embrace main triumphs on the PGA Championship and British Open, hopes to subsequent week turn into the primary back-to-back FedEx Cup winner.
Matsuyama birdied 4 of the final eight holes to additionally shoot a bogey-free 64 and stand on 133 whereas Fleetwood solely managed a 69 and fell eight off MacIntyre’s tempo.
“Disappointing end,” Fleetwood mentioned. “Felt like I performed good once more. I’m in fifth place, so it’s onerous to moan an excessive amount of about it.”
World quantity two Rory McIlroy, second within the playoff standings, fired a 66 to face eleventh on 136, 10 off the tempo.
“I simply wish to attempt to play a very good weekend and really feel a little bit bit higher about my recreation going into the Tour Championship,” McIlroy mentioned.