Robert MacIntyre fought throughout the third round of the RBC Canadian Open but eventually broke through to card a 4-under 66 and lead the pack by four.
After going 1-over on the front nine, The Scottish golfer went low on the back nine as he made two birdies and an eagle in three of his last four holes to come home in 30 shots.
MacIntyre showed a lot of resilience down the stretch to turn around his round.
The 27-year-old led the field in strokes gained putting in Round 3. He picked up 4.32 shots on the greens. On Saturday, he made 166 feet of putts, with 133 feet coming on the back nine.
MacIntyre made birdies of 12, 50, and 10-feet. His eagle on the par-5 17th was even more impressive as MacIntyre sank a 30-footer.
“I think it’s my attitude now. I’ve been in a good mindset from the get-go and had zero expectations at the start of the week,” MacIntyre said. “It never got away from me. A bit of luck, a bit of myself staying in the moment, staying calm. I got my reward with the putter in the end.”
MacIntyre showed so much grit and determination on that back nine. That tenacity came from his Dad, Dougie, who reminded him of his hard work.
“He was having a wee go at me walking from the 10th tee down to the fairway,” MacIntyre said. “He could see my head going a little bit. I flipped into that mode and tried to find the positive in everything. I tried to flip the negatives into positives. Started to find momentum — when it gets rolling, it’s nice.”
Caddies are so valuable to players, but his father’s words meant more than anything any other caddie could have said to him at that moment.
“My dad wants me to do well because we’re blood, and there’s no other,” MacIntyre said. “There’s nothing other than pride and guts and what we’re trying to do. He’s been through thick and thin with me. He taught me how to play golf. It was me, him and my family going around four holes at Glencruitten Golf Club out the back of the house for many years.”
If his father did not set him straight at the 10th, who knows how the rest of MacIntyre’s round would have gone. He acknowledged how massive a moment it was.
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Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
“It was something to kick me into shape, but I was trying so hard to just get out of my way,” he said. “It’s so good to have him there and just fighting with me. It’s great to have.”
“I was mumping and moaning, going down there, but I was on the fairway. There’s no problem. I’m not in the rough. I’m on the fairway. That’s what he tried to say to me, like, let’s knuckle down here and get on with it.”
MacIntyre leads Ben Griffin, Ryan Fox and Canada’s own Mackenzie Hughes by four shots. Hughes is one of Canada’s only hope for having repeat champions.
Lurking are the likes of Sam Burns, Joel Dahmen, and Tommy Fleetwood, who are within five shots. Two long-shot contenders are Rory McIlroy and another Canadian, Corey Connors, who are seven back.
Sunday’s nasty weather could be detrimental, but for a Scottish lad, it might be what he needs to earn his first PGA Tour victory.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
