Robert MacIntyre didn’t replicate the fireworks of his opening two rounds, but he still walked off the 18th green at Caves Valley with a four-shot cushion and a massive birdie putt to close out the third round of the BMW Championship.
His 2-under 68 on Saturday brought him to 16-under for the tournament and marked the lowest 54-hole score of his PGA TOUR career at 194, just one shot shy of the tournament record. With one round remaining, the lefty from Scotland remains in control, now one step away from becoming the first wire-to-wire BMW Championship winner since Marc Leishman in 2017, and the first Scottish player to win a FedExCup Playoffs event.
“The day was tough. As you would have seen, it wasn’t the plain sailing of the first two days, but yeah, I thought I managed it well,” Robert MacIntyre said. “The pins were absolutely brutal. You want to be underneath the holes, and where they cut the pins today you just couldn’t get underneath them and you were standing there with 15 feet coming down a steep slope, a lot of time…a lot of break.”
MacIntyre’s biggest moment came on the final hole, where he buried a 41-foot putt for birdie. It was a crucial momentum boost heading into Sunday.
“Obviously 18, final hole of the day, holing that putt is a massive boost going into tomorrow. That one shot is everything out here,” he said.
While the leaderboard still belongs to Robert MacIntyre, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is firmly within striking distance. The reigning FedExCup champion carded a 3-under 67 to move to 12-under overall, his 16th straight round under par.
“I did a good job of staying patient,” Scheffler said. “Would have liked to maybe make a few more birdies, but overall for how I was hitting it, not a terrible score.”
Scheffler also had to manage more than just the heat and hills. Midway through the round, his group—paired with MacIntyre—was put on the clock for slow play, prompting a warning from officials.
“Bob and I got warned on No. 9, and I felt like we did some pretty good stuff on 9, 10 and 11 and we somehow didn’t gain a single second on pace of play,” Scheffler said. “It’s frustrating… I didn’t really feel like I did anything to put us behind on time.”
Despite the pace warning, Scheffler stayed focused and kept himself in contention heading into Sunday.
As for chasing down Robert MacIntyre?
“I started the day five behind. The tournament was only halfway over,” Scheffler said. “Bob’s got a four-shot lead going into tomorrow and it’s up to me. He’s playing some great golf, and it’s up to me to go out there and chase him down.”
Tension between MacIntyre and sections of the American crowd bubbled up throughout the day, especially during his pairing with Scheffler.
“It started on the first tee. It probably started when I walked down to the range,” MacIntyre said. “It ain’t bothering me. It’s there. As long as they don’t do it within the shot… it’s fair game.”
Ludvig Åberg posted a second straight 68 and sits in solo third at 10-under. The 25-year-old is eyeing redemption after finishing runner-up in 2024. A win Sunday would make him the youngest BMW Championship winner since Rory McIlroy in 2012.
Sam Burns and Harry Hall are tied for fourth at 8-under, while Maverick McNealy dropped back after a double bogey on 18.
Saturday’s most dramatic highlight came courtesy of Akshay Bhatia, who made a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th with a 227-yard 5-iron. The ace was his first on the PGA TOUR and earned him a BMW iX, while also triggering a four-year Evans Scholarship for a caddie, courtesy of BMW of North America.
Akshay Bhatia aced the 17th earlier today at #BMWChampionship 🎯
— Double Take Sports (@dbltakesports) August 17, 2025
BMW will fund a $125K Evans Scholarship in his name, while he drives off in an all-electric BMW iX M70.
📸 WGA/Charles Cherney#BMWCHAMPS pic.twitter.com/UlTNP74Gu2
With one round to play, MacIntyre remains the man to beat. But with stars like Scheffler and Åberg looming—and the pressure rising—Sunday promises high-stakes in Owings Mills.