Even Robert MacIntyre was impressed with his putting performance Thursday in the first round of the 2025 BMW Championship.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Robert MacIntyre birdied the last six holes and seven of eight to shoot 8-under 62 on Thursday at Caves Valley Golf Club, three strokes better than Tommy Fleetwood at the BMW Championship, the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Even MacIntyre was impressed with his performance. “I didn't see my score (out there),” he said, “but again, when we get in a rhythm, it's just…” Point and shoot.
It was that sort of day for the Scotsman, who gained more than 5 ½ strokes on the greens, best in the field, as he made 10 birdies in all.
“The last six holes is probably as good as I've ever putted in a stretch of holes. Just so consistent,” he said. “When you get the eye on, it's free flowing, and it's nice.”
MacIntyre was skating along with two birdies and a bogey early on when lightning and a thunderstorm suspended play for more than 2 hours. He said he’s never been good at coming back out from a stoppage of play but figured out a winning strategy at the U.S. Open during the final round when he rallied to finish second.
“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. It was all about trying to stay warm, and the locker room was a nice temperature,” he said. “I just changed outfit because of the conditions, but no, it came at a tough time, but it gave the course a little more to us.”
Career-best six birdies in a row 💪
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 14, 2025
Just another day in the office for Robert MacIntyre.
📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/LEx94s5tZJ
The rain softened the course and MacIntyre took advantage. The greens, which had seemed slick before the rain, had become slower and smoother.
“Just got the speed of them right away and dropped in a few long ones and tidied up where I needed to,” he said.
The first long one was from 66 feet at the par-3 13th. For his next trick, he canned a 40-footer at 14. At 15, he moved in a little closer, holing from 17 feet. At 16 he “tidied up” from 11 feet before stepping back to 22 feet at 17 and then brushing in a 4-footer after a friendly bounce from the first cut cozied up to close range.
Who is Robert MacInytre's putting coach?
MacIntyre changed putting coaches in February and began working with Mike Kanski and switched to his current putter during the PGA Championship in May. When asked what he did that helped him the most, MacIntyre said, “The priority is getting that putter face as square as I can at impact, which it's not rocket science but it's difficult to do. For me, that's the priority now, just to go and do that. Then when you get in a certain range, it's all pace putting and touch, and my touch is normally pretty good.”
“I've turned the right corner. I've got back to doing what I'm used to doing. You don't expect to hole the big, long putts,” he added. “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.”
MacIntyre entered the week at No. 20 in the FedEx Cup and is projected to zoom up to No. 3, which would earn him some bonus money on top of the first-place prize.
Three back of MacIntyre is Tommy Fleetwood, who squandered another chance to claim his first PGA Tour win on Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude. He birdied the last for a bogey-free 5-under 65.
FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler is alone in third after posting 4-under 66 without his regular caddie, Ted Scott. Michael Cromey is filling in this week while Scott tends to a family matter. Scheffler birdied the first two holes and three of the first four and looked like he was off to the races. But he hit a speed bump with back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 9 and 10. After the suspension of play, Scheffler birdied three of the last four holes to finish strong.
“I had a great start and a great finish,” he said. “In between was a little bit ‘meh.’”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: BMW Championship: Robert MacIntyre six straight birdies to finish round
Category: General Sports
