By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Robert MacIntyre seized on a softer Caves Valley after a two-hour storm delay and rode the best putting round of his year with six straight birdies to post an 8-under 62 for a three-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the BMW Championship on Thursday.
MacIntyre finished it off with a 5-foot birdie putt on 18th hole, and that was the easiest of his final six birdies. He holed a 65-foot birdie putt on the 12th and followed that from 40 feet.
And he kept right on going until he matched his low round on the PGA Tour and left everyone chasing after the opening round of the penultimate postseason event.
“The last six holes is probably as good as I’ve ever putted in a stretch of holes,” he said.
Scottie Scheffler was tied for the lead when he returned from the delay and birdied three of his final four holes for a 66. Rickie Fowler was another shot behind, a big step toward making the Tour Championship for a shot at the FedEx Cup.
MacIntyre looked to be unstoppable except that he ran out of holes.
“When I went back out, I had a 7-footer for birdie which was going to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, and I rolled that in nicely,” said MacIntyre, who then rolled along quite nicely.
It was a different course when the top 50 in the FedEx Cup arrived to Caves Valley, which hosted the BMW Championship in 2021. Patrick Cantlay won in a playoff over Bryson DeChambeau after both finished at 27-under 261.
It has gone through a big renovation, changed to a par 70, and it was playing tough enough that Viktor Hovland at 67 had the low score of the morning before a bank of dark clouds and heavy rain pounded the course.
Softer greens made all the difference, but the 62 by MacIntyre was no less impressive. The Scot also shot 62 at the Travelers Championship last year.
“The course was a lot softer, so we did have a chance of shooting a score,” Fleetwood said, who was on the 16th hole when MacIntyre finished. “Did he finish with quite a few birdies maybe?”
Six of them.
“That helps,” Fleetwood said with a smile.
It was a nice start for Fleetwood, too, particularly after another tough ending last week when he had a two-shot lead with three holes to play and finished one shot out of a playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in his bid for his first PGA Tour title.
The goal was to get back into contention as quickly as possible. This was only one round, but it was a good start. Fleetwood had one of only two bogey-free rounds, the other belonging to Hideki Matsuyama (69).
“I’ve been a pro for — I don’t know how long, I’m not going to do the math — but I’ve had my fair share of playing rubbish,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve spent weeks playing terrible. So playing well and being in contention is a privilege. You’ve got to enjoy those times. So while I’m playing well, I’m kind of enjoying it as well.”
Scheffler played with Rory McIlroy as the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the FedEx Cup, which means nothing at this stage because every one of the 30 players who advance to East Lake will start from scratch as they play for the FedEx Cup.
McIlroy struggled off the tee, had three bogeys in six holes and pulled it together for a 70 that included eight straight pars at the end. Scheffler wobbled a bit at the turn, twice missing greens and failing to get up-and-down. But he had three birdies in four holes at the start, and three birdies in four holes at the end.
“Golf course definitely got a bit easier but did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I had left,” said Scheffler, who posted his 14th consecutive round in the 60s.
Hovland came into the BMW Championship at No. 28 in the FedEx Cup, right on the bubble for being in the top 30 to reach the Tour Championship. He figures good will take care of that.
It was a more significant start for Fowler, who barely got into the top 50. Ditto for Michael Kim and Jason Day, both outside the top 40. They each shot 68.
Xander Schauffele, who has never missed the Tour Championship since he won it as a rookie in 2017, might see that streak end. He was at No. 43 and is searching, and it showed. He opened with four bogeys in six holes, battled back and closed with a double bogey for a 74.
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