Fired up MacIntyre retains BMW Championship lead

BMW Championship – round three leaderboard

-16 R MacIntyre (Sco); -12 S Scheffler (US); -10 L Aberg (Swe); -8 S Burns (US), H Hall (Eng)

Selected others: -7 T Fleetwood (Eng); -6 V Hovland (Nor); -3 R McIlroy (NI); +1 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); +2 J Thomas (US); +4 S Lowry (Ire)

Robert MacIntyre will take a four-shot lead into the final day of the BMW Championship in Maryland after keeping world number one Scottie Scheffler at bay at Caves Valley.

While the Scot’s putting and imperious iron play helped him construct a five-stroke advantage over the first two days, he maintained a healthy advantage on Saturday with some par saves before dropping in a 41-foot birdie on the 18th to sign for a two-under 68.

MacIntyre, who appeared to relish the pressure of playing alongside American Scheffler, who carded a 67 and at one stage was within three, made a scrambling par after playing out of trees and bushes near the fifth green.

And he then shushed a fan on the 14th, in a precursor of what may follow in next month’s Ryder Cup, when he rolled in a difficult par putt immediately after Scheffler had made a birdie on the same hole.

“We’re in America, playing against their sweetheart Scottie, who I get on well with, he’s a great guy,” MacIntyre said.

He added: “I don’t know if anyone was thrown out, but there was plenty of people to talk to. He [a spectator] was just jeering. He was just shouting I missed it, he’s pushed it. Pushed it right in the middle of the hole, I guess.”

It proved compelling viewing, with both set to go out again on Sunday in the second event of three that make up the FedEx Cup play-offs.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is six shots adrift of MacIntrye at 10 under overall after a two-under 68, while Sam Burns and Harry Hall both went round in 67 to sit at eight under.

Englishman Hall’s performance means he is projected to sit inside the top 30 in the season-long standings after this tournament and advance to next week’s event in Atlanta.

Maverick McNealy and Tommy Fleetwood are another shot back after rounds of 69.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy began his round with a double bogey and could only manage a one-over-par 71 to leave him in a tie for 14th at three under.

Aside from the duel between MacIntyre and Scheffler, the highlight of the day arrived when American Akshay Bhatia, battling for one of the last spots in Atlanta, made a hole in one on the par-three 17th hole with a five-iron.

“When that golf ball goes in, it was the craziest thing in the world,” said Bhatia, who won a new car in the process.