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.
Who: Manchester United vs Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday, August 16 at 4:30pm (15:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 4:30pm (15:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Arsenal face an immediate test of their Premier League title credentials against a revamped Manchester United.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game.
Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to keep digging for gold.
The Gunners have finished as Premier League runners-up for the last three seasons, sparking criticism of their failure to get over the line in the title race.
Arsenal blew significant leads when Manchester City pipped them to the trophy in 2023 and 2024, before Liverpool left the injury-plagued north Londoners trailing in their wake last season.
Arsenal’s title frustrations are mounting, with fans questioning whether Arteta is the right man to end their drought after winning only the 2020 FA Cup since he took charge in December 2019.
But the Gunners showed their potential last season, with a run to the Champions League semifinals that ended with a narrow defeat against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
And, buoyed by a host of new signings worth more than 180 million pounds ($244 million) in total, Arteta is convinced they can finally get their hands on the Premier League silverware this season.
“You keep digging, digging, digging, and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there,” he told reporters on Friday.
“For three seasons, we’ve had more points than [nearly] any other team in this league, which is incredible.
“You have the consistency, but now we have to do it in a season, to end with more points than any other team.
“That’s the objective. When I’ve been taught, when I’ve been educated, that’s it.”
Hampered by injuries to Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz at various stages last season, Arsenal lacked a cutting edge and were held to 14 draws compared with Liverpool’s nine.
That was a crucial edge as Arsenal finished 10 points behind the champions.
In an attempt to insulate Arsenal against another fitness-related collapse, Arteta has brought in Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke and Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard.
After bemoaning Arsenal’s failure to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as Liverpool pulled away during the January window, the Spaniard is a far more upbeat figure on the eve of the new season.
“I think we have great versatility, very different qualities in relation to the opposition, so we are very happy with that,” he said.
Arteta said that “too many” teams have a legitimate shot at winning the Premier League for his liking, some he even suspects will “surprise everybody”.
Whether that was a hint that United, who suffered their worst season since 1973-74 last term, could emerge as contenders after their summer spending spree remains to be seen.
Arsenal were linked with a move for United’s new striker Benjamin Sesko before deciding to bet on Gyokeres for a fee that could rise to 66 million pounds ($89.5m).
The Swede netted 97 times in 102 games in two years at Sporting, much of which came under United’s current manager, Ruben Amorim.
Instead of being reunited with Gyokeres, Amorim overhauled his attack with the signings of Leipzig’s Sesko, Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo and Wolves forward Matheus Cunha at a combined cost of more than 200 million pounds ($271m).
United, who have not won the title since 2013, had to spend big to erase the stench of their putrid campaign.
Amorim’s team finished a dismal 15th in the top-flight, and squandered a chance to qualify for the Champions League with a toothless 1-0 defeat against fellow underachievers Tottenham in the Europa League final.
The pressure is on Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, to deliver major improvements in his second season.
Amorim knows Sesko will be key to that target and believes the 22-year-old Slovenian is ready to rise to the challenge.
“I don’t need to tell Ben, ‘Ben, this is Manchester United, a lot of pressure. Every game is like do or die’,” Amorim said.
“He is always thinking about football. He’s really obsessed about that.”
This is the 244th meeting between the clubs, with United winning 99 of those games and Arsenal winning 89.
The last two meetings ended in 1-1 draws, although one of those was in the FA Cup with United advancing on penalties.
The Red Devils have not beaten the Gunners since December 2022, a 3-1 home win lead by a Marcus Rashford double.
The Gunners have won four of the six following meetings.
Defenders Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Noussair Mazraoui (hamstring) are both injury absentees for United.
Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana have, however, both recovered from knocks and are available for selection.
Arteta has said that the new signings, Gyokeres and Zubimendi, are both “fit to play”.
Leandro Trossard has had a groin problem but is expected to recover in time for selection. Gabriel Jesus remains a long-term absentee with an ACL injury, but otherwise, Arteta has a full squad to choose from.
Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Shaw; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko
Moses Itauma needed less than two minutes to emphatically stop Dillian Whyte and further strengthen his credentials as the next heavyweight star.
Headlining a card for the first time, the 20-year-old Briton rose to the occasion in what was billed as the biggest test of his career to date.
After some precise and powerful combinations, Itauma sent Whyte, 37, down with a thundering right.
With 119 seconds on the clock, referee Mikael Hook waved off the fight after Whyte had climbed back to his feet.
Itauma has now won all 13 of his bouts as a professional, with 11 of those victories coming by knockout.
“What is next? I will fight anyone they put in front of me,” Itauma told DAZN.
“[The crowd] are saying [undisputed champion Oleksandr] Usyk. The team mentioned they want me to get some rounds out. Any of them can happen.”
Itauma has shown maturity beyond his years since winning in just 23 seconds on his professional debut in 2023 – and has continued to excel with every step up.
Heavyweight rivals Joseph Parker, Derek Chisora and Lawrence Okolie were among those watching at ringside as the rising star put on another statement performance.
The Slovakia-born fighter walked first to the ring, despite being the A-side, but was made to wait for more than three minutes – longer than the fight lasted – by Whyte, who delayed his entrance.
After throwing a few early feints to get a read on his opponent, Itauma started to unload and quickly found the range for his heavy hands.
Whyte was clearly feeling the power and back on the ropes as Itauma picked his shots carefully.
A right hook to the temple proved the telling blow and, despite bravely getting back to his feet, Whyte was deemed not fit to continue.
“How he did it, his temperament, control and composure – he fights better than guys at their peak and he is 20 years of age,” Queensberry’s Frank Warren, who promotes Itauma, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He did a job on somebody who has been at the best levels.”
Despite getting into the shape of his career – weighing the lightest for 10 years – Whyte could not cut it with Itauma and questions linger over his future.
Itauma’s dreams of becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history ended in May, but this victory puts him firmly on track for a title shot in boxing’s glamour division in the next 12 months.
Itauma has been carefully managed through the first two years of his career and it is unlikely he will be rushed into a fight beyond his means to put all that hard work in jeopardy.
Undisputed champion Usyk remains the man to beat, but Itauma is happy to take another step before potentially going up against the two-weight great.
“I put on a performance for you guys so it’s now ‘who’s next?’,” Itauma said.
“I don’t want to call out Usyk because I don’t believe I deserve the opportunity, but guys that do deserve the opportunity – I want to fight those lot.
“So maybe Agit Kabayel, maybe Joseph Parker. Maybe them type of names.”
Parker is certainly not afraid to take on a challenge – as he showed by taking on the widely avoided Martin Bakole on just two days’ notice and earning a stunning win.
“[Itauma] is a great talent,” Parker told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
“He put on a great display in terms of power, aggression and picking his shots. For a 20 year-old to be under the lights, he took the pressure on.