MacIntyre takes charge of Canadian Open

HAMILTON, Canada (AFP) — Robert MacIntyre made three birdies and an eagle in the last five holes to seize 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, fired a four-under par 66 to stand on 14-under 196 after 54 holes at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in suburban Toronto.

Sharing second on 200 were Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and American Ben Griffin with England’s Tommy Fleetwood sharing fifth on 201 with Americans Trace Crowe, Sam Burns and Joel Dahmen.

Fox and Griffin seek their first PGA triumphs while Hughes seeks his third PGA title on a course 10 miles from where he grew up.

MacIntyre has two wins on the DP World Tour, most recently at the 2022 Italian Open, but his best PGA finish was as runner-up in 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 thereafter.

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

“I just stuck in there,” said MacIntyre, who also scattered three birdies over his first 10 holes. “I didn’t have it great at the start, but I feel like whenever I dropped a shot I bounced back with maybe two good shots into the green, and I would pick up a shot back.