Closing charge lifts Scot MacIntyre to Canadian Open lead

Robert MacIntyre made three birdies and an eagle over the final five holes to take a four-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Canadian Open.

The 27-year-old from Scotland, seeking his first US PGA Tour title, shot a four-under-par 66 to sit at 14-under 196 after 54 holes at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in suburban Toronto.

Second in the 200 were Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and American Ben Griffin, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood tied for fifth in the 201 with Americans Trace Crowe, Sam Burns and Joel Dahmen.

Fox and Griffin are looking for their first PGA triumphs, while Hughes is looking for his third PGA title on a course 10 miles from where he grew up.

MacIntyre has two DP World Tour wins, most recently at the 2022 Italian Open, but his best PGA finish was as runner-up at last year’s Scottish Open.

Fox, who shared the 36-hole lead with MacIntyre, had two birdies and an eagle in the first five holes but squandered a four-stroke lead with four bogeys and no birdies after that.

MacIntyre bogeyed his first of the week on the opening hole, closed out the front nine with two more and had another on the par-3 13th after missing the green, but it was spectacular from there.

“I hung in there,” said MacIntyre, who also birdied three over the first 10 holes. “I didn’t have a great start, but I feel like every time I dropped a shot I came back two good shots into the green and I’d pick up a shot back.

“It never escaped me. A little bit of luck, a little bit of me staying in the moment, staying calm. I got my reward with the putter at the end.”

World number 76 MacIntyre sank a 12-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole and holed in a stunning 50-foot birdie putt at the 15th to take the lead alone at 11 under.

After Hughes birdied the par-5 17th to tie MacIntyre for the lead, MacIntyre sank a 10-foot putt at the par-3 16th and retook the solo lead at 12-under with a third straight birdie .

MacIntyre, whose father caddied for him, made his birdie run with a spectacular 30-foot eagle putt at 17 and parred 18 to finish ahead by four after trailing by four at one stage.

“I tried to turn the negative into a positive,” he said. “I just started to find momentum. I drilled a putt, I drilled a long putt and when it rolls, it’s beautiful.”

– McIlroy on the hunt –

World No. 91 Griffin, whose best finish in 59 previous PGA starts was a share of second at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October, capped by a bogey to shoot a 65. He had seven birdies and two bogeys on the day respective.

“I made some long putts that are almost unexpected, and when they drop, you know things are going your way,” Griffin said.

Fox, ranked 63rd, settled for a 70. The four-time DP World Tour winner, most recently at the BMW PGA Championship last September, had his best PGA ranking of fourth last month at Myrtle Beach .

Hughes, in 68th, shot 67 with a closing bogey. He won the 2016 PGA RSM Classic and the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship, both in playoffs.

World number three Rory McIlroy, a two-time Canadian Open champion and four-time major winner, shot a 65 to tie for 11th at 203. He won in 2019 at Hamilton with a 61 in the final round.

“We got off to a great start,” McIlroy said. “I did a quick session last night and it felt like it was resetting me, which is nice. He definitely played better.

“Coming back to a course where I’ve had some success and good memories, it was nice to go out and post a good one.”

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