Robert MacIntyre fought all through the third spherical of the RBC Canadian Open however ultimately broke by to card a 4-under 66 and lead the pack by 4.
After going 1-over on the entrance 9, The Scottish golfer went low on the again 9 as he made two birdies and an eagle in three of his final 4 holes to come back residence in 30 pictures.
MacIntyre confirmed plenty of resilience down the stretch to show round his spherical.
The 27-year-old led the sphere in strokes gained placing in Spherical 3. He picked up 4.32 pictures on the greens. On Saturday, he made 166 ft of putts, with 133 ft approaching the again 9.
MacIntyre made birdies of 12, 50, and 10-feet. His eagle on the par-5 seventeenth was much more spectacular as MacIntyre sank a 30-footer.
“I believe it’s my angle now. I’ve been in mindset from the get-go and had zero expectations in the beginning of the week,” MacIntyre mentioned. “It by no means obtained away from me. A little bit of luck, a little bit of myself staying within the second, staying calm. I obtained my reward with the putter ultimately.”
MacIntyre confirmed a lot grit and willpower on that again 9. That tenacity got here from his Dad, Dougie, who reminded him of his laborious work.
“He was having a wee go at me strolling from the tenth tee all the way down to the golf green,” MacIntyre mentioned. “He might see my head going a bit of bit. I flipped into that mode and tried to search out the optimistic in the whole lot. I attempted to flip the negatives into positives. Began to search out momentum — when it will get rolling, it’s good.”
Caddies are so priceless to gamers, however his father’s phrases meant greater than something every other caddie might have mentioned to him at that second.
“My dad needs me to do nicely as a result of we’re blood, and there’s no different,” MacIntyre mentioned. “There’s nothing aside from pleasure and guts and what we’re making an attempt to do. He’s been by thick and skinny with me. He taught me the right way to play golf. It was me, him and my household going round 4 holes at Glencruitten Golf Membership out the again of the home for a few years.”
If his father didn’t set him straight on the tenth, who is aware of how the remainder of MacIntyre’s spherical would have gone. He acknowledged how huge a second it was.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25474747/2155652254.jpg)
Photograph by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Photos
“It was one thing to kick me into form, however I used to be making an attempt so laborious to simply get out of my approach,” he mentioned. “It’s so good to have him there and simply preventing with me. It’s nice to have.”
“I used to be mumping and moaning, happening there, however I used to be on the golf green. There’s no downside. I’m not within the tough. I’m on the golf green. That’s what he tried to say to me, like, let’s knuckle down right here and get on with it.”
MacIntyre leads Ben Griffin, Ryan Fox and Canada’s personal Mackenzie Hughes by 4 pictures. Hughes is certainly one of Canada’s solely hope for having repeat champions.
Lurking are the likes of Sam Burns, Joel Dahmen, and Tommy Fleetwood, who’re inside 5 pictures. Two long-shot contenders are Rory McIlroy and one other Canadian, Corey Connors, who’re seven again.
Sunday’s nasty climate might be detrimental, however for a Scottish lad, it is perhaps what he must earn his first PGA Tour victory.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. For extra golf protection, make sure to comply with us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. You may as well comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.