Robert McIntyre grabbed the softer cave valley after a two-hour storm delay and rode the best putting round with six straight birdies to post Tommy Fleetwood at 8 under 62 with a three-shot lead at BMW Championship on Thursday.
McIntyre finished with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. This was the easiest of his last six birdies, and the longest winning streak for players finishing the FedEx Cup playoff round since the start of the playoffs in 2007.
He went on on the PGA Tour until he matched his low rounds, and after the opening round of his penultimate postseason event, everyone chased.
“The last six holes are probably as good as I’ve put them in a series of holes ever,” said Macintyre, who finished with a 195-foot, 2-inch putt.
Scotty Schaeffler was tied to the lead when he returned from the delay and birded three of the last four holes for 66. Ricky Fowler was another shot, a big step towards making a tour championship for a shot at the FedEx Cup.
Macintyre seemed unstoppable except that he had exhausted the hole.
“When I came back, I had a seven footer for a birdie. It was going to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and I rolled it well,” Macintyre said.
It was a different course when the FedEx Cup Top 50 arrived at Caves Valley, where the BMW Championship was held in 2021.
Caves Valley was changed to par 70 after major renovations and played tough enough for 67-year-old Viktor Hovland to have a low morning score before dark clouds and heavy rain hit the course.
The softer greens made all the difference, but the 62 Macintyre was so impressive. He also shot 62 at last year’s Travelers Championship.
“The course was much softer so I had a chance to film the score,” said Fleetwood, who was on hole 16, where Macintyre finished. “Did he end up with quite a few birdies?”
Six of them.
“That helps,” Fleetwood said with a smile.
It was a great start for Fleetwood too. Especially after another tough ending last week when he took a two-shot lead to play one shot in the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in his first PGA Tour title bid.
The goal was to return to competition as soon as possible. This was just one round, but it was a good start. Fleetwood had one of two rounds without bogeys, the other belonging to Matsuyama Hideki (69).
“I was a professional — I don’t know how long I’m not going to do math, but I had a pretty good percentage of playing trash,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve played badly for weeks, so it’s a privilege to play well and compete. You need to enjoy those times. So while I’m doing well, I enjoy it too.”
Schaeffler played in the FedEx Cup as Rory McIlroy and first seed and two types of seed respectively. This means nothing at this stage as the 30 players who advance to Eastlake start from zero when they play in the FedEx Cup.
McIlroy struggled from the tee, had three bogeys on six holes and put it together for a 70 that included eight straight pars at the end. Schaeffler wobbles a bit on the turn, and the greens are made twice, and he can’t fall up or down. However, he had three birdies on four holes first and three birdies on four holes last.
“The golf course has definitely been a little easier, but it did a good job of taking advantage of the holes I left behind,” said Schaeffler, who posted 14 consecutive rounds in the ’60s.
Hovland entered the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup, 28th place. This appeared in the bubble to be in the top 30 to reach the tour championship. He believes that good play cherishes it.
This was a more important start for Fowler, who barely entered the top 50. Michael Kim and Jason Day are outside the top 40. They each shot 68.
Xander Schauffele, who has never missed a Tour Championship since winning a rookie in 2017, may end his winning streak. He’s at number 43, he’s searching and that shows. He opened with four bogeys in six holes, fought and closed with a double bogey of 74.
This report used information from ESPN Research and Associated Press.