Nature tested every ounce of patience in the field Thursday morning, as the BMW Championship teed off under brooding skies at 9:21 a.m. ET. Viktor Hovland held the early lead before storms suspended play, leaving the field soaked and stalled.
But when the clouds cleared, Robert MacIntyre returned with fire in his fingertips.
The Scotsman fired six straight birdies on the back nine to close his round. It began on the 13th hole until the last hole when MacIntyre matched his career low with 8-under 62.
Not only this, but it also vaulted the 29-year-old into a three-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood, marking the longest birdie streak to end a FedEx Cup playoff round since the format’s inception in 2007.
“The last six holes is probably as good as I’ve ever putted in a stretch of holes,” MacIntyre expressed in front of reporters during the Friday conference. “Just so consistent.”
“Since I changed coaches at Pebble Beach this year on the putting, I’ve turned the right corner,” he added. “I’ve got back to doing what I’m used to doing. You don’t expect to hole the big long putts… But I expect to roll in putts. I work hard at it. I do a lot on my reads. I do a lot on my touch. When you get the eye on, it’s free flowing, and it’s nice.”
The coach MacIntyre mentioned is Mike Kanski, a lead instructor at the Phil Kenyon Putting Academy. MacIntyre began working with Kanski in February and switched to a new putter at the PGA Championship in May.
Since then, he’s posted five top-10 finishes, including a runner-up position at the US Open in June.
The rain delay could have derailed his momentum, but MacIntyre credited a lesson learned during his Royal Portrush run.
“I kept myself moving. I kept myself warm. I wasn’t allowing the air-conditioning to almost freeze you and then you come back out to the heat and it’s a shock,” he told reporters as quoted. “I just changed outfit because of the conditions … it gave the course a little more to us.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished with a 4-under 66, just four shots back of the lead. He birdied three of his final four holes and described the post-rain conditions as significantly easier.
“Golf course definitely got a bit easier,” Scheffler stated in front of the press after his Thursday round. “Did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I had left.”
The second round began on Friday at 9:21 a.m. ET, with Bud Cauley completing his final hole from Thursday before the full field resumed. MacIntyre teed off at 10:27 a.m. ET.
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