OHINGS MILLS, Md. — Robert McInteel covered his head under the branches and climbed into the bushes behind No. 5, without a golf club, to see if he could first find the ball and decide whether it was worth trying to play it.
Throughout the opening he saw Scotty Schaeffler waiting for him. This reminded me of what he was doing at the BMW Championship on Saturday.
He took on the shot and somehow made par with two tough putts from 70 feet. It was a huge moment. But for McIntyre, they were all big – par saves, a few birdie opportunities he missed, and a 40-foot birdie that ended a satisfying day.
The final birdie gave McIntyre a 2-under 68, leading the world’s number one player into the final round in the Cave Valley by four.
“It was huge,” McIntyre said of his par save on No. 5.
And he knows what to expect on Sunday, another date for the final group with Schaeffler.
It was clear who the huge crowd wanted, and McIntyre was enough to hear one fan from the hospitality suite behind 14th Green.
He stopped an 8-foot putt shortly after Schaeffler made a birdie, turned to the crowd, pumped his fist lightly, and placed his index finger on his lips to scrunchie anyone who had arrived under Scottish skin.
“I was totally hoping to be in this situation today when I was in this situation, and that’s going to be exactly the same as tomorrow,” McIntyre said. “I will give it as good as I get it, and I watched it and thought I played great.
He is 194 under 16 years old and is the second player (Jason Day at BMW in 2015), leading at least three shots after each round this week, leading the FedEx Cup playoffs (excluding Tour Championships).
Schaeffler finally finished his 37-hole streak without a bogey and felt his iron game was a little far apart, but otherwise there were no complaints.
“I started day 5. There were only half the tournaments, so there’s a lot of golf,” Schaeffler said. “Bob got a four-shot lead tomorrow. It’s up to me. He’s playing great golf. It’s up to me to get out there and chase him.”
It was Schaeffler’s 16th straight round, the fifth-longest round of the 60s since the 1970s, and the 16th round on tour with Pal.
LudvigÅberg took part in the mix. The Swedish star came out of a summer sleep, shot a 68 and fired him third. He was still six shots behind Macintyre.
No one else was closer than the eight shots of the lead.
Schaeffler was able to feel the crowd favorably, but he didn’t notice anything out of control. He had experienced this before, paired with McIntyre at the Scotland Open and performed in front of the Royal Portrush Pro Rory McIlroy Gallery when he won the Royal Open.
“You can think of some things that were told to me in the final round in Ireland. “If you’re a fan, I think it’s just going to fire more guys and do your best to act there. Sometimes it’s a bit ridiculous.”
The BMW Championship decided the top 30 for FedEx and advanced to the Tour Championship, winning a $10 million prize.
Akshay Bhatia helped his chance with an amazing day to win the car in an amazing day, including a hole-in-one on hole 17, but more importantly he projected him within the top 30.
Harry Hall of England, at No. 45 of the FedEx Cup, had a second straight 67, tied with the Sam Burns in fourth place.
Players often talk about what exists. The hall takes it to another level.
“I only had one job, and I’ll recover and stay hydrated and prepare to hit the first fairway show tomorrow,” Hall said. “My game plan doesn’t fluctuate regardless of the situation I’m in. I think I’ll try to do the right thing with every shot.
Ricky Fowler narrowly entered the top 50 to reach the cave valley, but placed himself in order to score 67 and move into the top 30. He will be projected just outside the top 30, and those projections are likely to fluctuate violently on the last day.
Fowler thinks about what he needs, but he kept it simple.
“Hopefully, run out of some fairways and then go back to where you have iron play and make a putt,” he said. “But it sounds much easier than that.”
However, Macintyre was clearly uploading it for testing. He made five putts from a 5-8-foot range, had some birdie putts within 6 feet, and finished the day with a 40-foot birdie putt uppercut celebration.
This report used information from ESPN Research and Associated Press.
