Sunday, December 22, 2024

MacIntyre eagles 17th, has 4-shot lead in Canada

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HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th to cap a late surge Saturday and take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open.

Tied for the second-round lead with Ryan Fox, MacIntyre shot a 4-under 66 to get to 14-under 196 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is winless in 44 career PGA Tour starts.

Mackenzie Hughes, trying to become the second straight Canadian to win the national championship, was tied for second with Fox and Ben Griffin.

From nearby Dundas, Hughes shot a 67. He missed a 9-foot eagle putt on 17, then bogeyed the par-4 18th.

Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.

Fox had a 70 on Saturday. He played the first five holes in 4 under with an eagle and two birdies, then made four bogeys on the final 13 — three in a four-hole span in the middle of the back nine.

Griffin bogeyed the 18th in a 65.

Fleetwood (64) was 9 under along with Sam Burns (67), Trace Crowe (67) and Joel Dahmen (69).

Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy was tied for 11th at 7 under after a 65. He won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.

Taylor missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 71.

MacIntyre played the first 13 holes in 1 over, making three birdies and four bogeys. After a bogey on the par-3 13th, he began the late charge with a 13-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. He ran in a 50-footer on the par-4 15th and a 10-footer on the par-3 16th before holing the eagle putt on 17.

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