HAMILTON, ON – Things were going well for Robert MacIntyre in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open, until the Scot set the tone with an irresistible late-round surge to take a four-shot lead.
The result of three birdies and an eagle between the 14th and 17th holes, MacIntyre dumped his opponents to come within 18 holes of the first title of his career on the PGA Tour. The 27-year-old shot 66 for a second day in a row and is now at 14 under for the tournament.
A series of birdies and bogeys in the first 13 holes made things difficult for MacIntyre, who was +1 in his round until then. A putt of almost 13 feet at the 14th flag, however, launched a series of successes which allowed him to subtract five strokes from par in the space of four holes.
At the 15th flag, MacIntyre putt nearly 50 feet for birdie. After a third straight birdie on the next hole, MacIntyre capped his sublime streak with a 30-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 17th hole.
MacIntyre also took advantage of Ryan Fox’s troubles to build an interesting lead. Fox (70) shares second place with Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (67) and American Ben Griffin (65), four shots behind MacIntyre.
Everything started well for Fox on Saturday. Two birdies and an eagle in the first five holes allowed him to take a four-shot lead over MacIntyre early in the day.
Fox, however, had a nasty streak of four bogeys in seven holes to fall to 10 under overall. While there was a quadruple tie at minus-10 at the end of the day, MacIntyre had his brilliant streak to take off.
As for the Canadian Hughes, his five birdies on Saturday allowed him to climb two places and offer himself a chance for the title. Hughes was spectacular early in the round, when he made an 87-foot putt for birdie on the fourth hole.
“I’ve never been encouraged like that, ever, because when I play in the United States, I’m basically nobody,” said Hughes, a Dundas, Ont., native. Being here at home, you feel like they really push you to do better.
“I made a putt at the 10th, and I got goosebumps because the crowd was going wild. I feel like I will remember certain moments for a long time. »
He will try to give Canada a second national title in a row, after Nick Taylor’s crowning last year.
Earlier in the day, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, two-time RBC Canadian Open golf champion, posted a card of 65 which allowed him to climb to 11th place heading into the final round.
Powered by an eagle on the fourth hole, a par 5, McIlroy has a cumulative score of minus-7 after three rounds on the fairways of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
“I feel like an honorary Canadian at this point and the support I get here is incredible,” said McIlroy, who won his first Canadian Open on the same course in 2019. “I keep saying it, but it It’s just a pleasure to play in an atmosphere like that.
“The crowd is so good and enthusiastic, they can’t wait for another day. »
He was satisfied with a score of 72 on Friday to fall in the rankings.
