BMW is a match race now

Writing from Owings Mills, Maryland

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Devotees of the sport of kings may remember a day when match racing was on a par with a big stakes race. Swaps vs. Nashua at Washington Park in 1955 was a famous duel.

Those went out of favor after Ruffian broke down in her match race with Foolish Pleasure in 1975, but, not too many miles from under-reconstruction Pimlico, there will be a similar duel on the morrow at Caves Valley Golf Club between thoroughbreds that the proprietors of Old Hilltop might not mind as the feature performers in the Preakness Stakes.

Introducing the left-hander from Scotland, Robert MacIntyre, who punches above his weight, and the right-hander from Texas, Scottie Scheffler, who just plain punches.

That duo will be paired together once again, going 18 rounds for the BMW Championship, the opportunity to pose with the J.K. Wadley Trophy, and a bonus of $4 million sent their way via direct deposit.

MacIntyre carved a 2-under 68 out of the Caves Valley acreage on Saturday to finish 54 holes at 16-under 196, four strokes ahead of Scheffler, whose 3-under 67 trimmed a stroke off the margin MacIntyre enjoyed at dawn’s early light.

It would have been merely a three-stroke lead, which could have brought others into the immediate conversation, but MacIntyre sank a 41-foot uphill-sidehill putt at the last, a bonus birdie that also silenced some ugly Americans who had sent a catcall or three the lad’s way.

Not that he really minded the barking. First, he’s used to it, Ryder Cup year or not, and second, it lights a fire within.

“One hundred percent,” MacIntyre said. “Look, I grew up all my days in amateur golf on the outside looking in. I grew up fighting to be in this position.”

As exemplified by his fist pump and “shush” to the crowd after a par save on the 14th.

“We’re in America,” MacIntrye said, having no problem with the majority of the gallery pulling for Scheffler. “I expected it. You give me crap, I’ll give you crap back. I’m inside the ropes with security around me, so I’m safe.”

MacIntyre’s round was hardly routine. He made a miraculous par save from the jungle on the fifth hole, denying Scheffler an opportunity to close the gap. Scheffler, despite a four-birdie performance and a card sullied by only one bogey, could never get closer than three strokes. Expect a similarly stout performance from MacIntyre on Sunday.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” said MacIntyre, invoking an adage from that 3-handicapper, Arthur G. Lewis, who penned it in 1911.

Scheffler has similar moxie, so figure on a friendly battle across the hills and dales, and for that pair to play well enough keep the scrap to themselves. It’s a comparatively long way back to Ludvig Aberg, whose 68 for 10-under 200 places him six in arrears. Sam Burns and Harry Hall are at 8-under 202, and will need heroic rounds plus a MacIntyre fainting spell to have a chance.

MacIntyre’s putt on 18, which traveled through downtown Owing Mills before turning right and settling in the cup, is a great example. The greens, 48 hours after Thursday’s downpour, are drying out. With that comes the need for more precision. MacIntyre can provide it.

“There’s more bite on the golf course,” MacIntyre said. “Obviously 18, final hole of the day, holing that putt is a massive boost going into tomorrow. That one shot is everything out there.”

The other “one shot” was his escape on the fifth hole, which at 336 yards is drivable for this crowd. Mere mortals would have taken a penalty stroke and played their third shot from the rough. Not MacIntyre, who grabbed a wedge and took a whack from the underbrush. The ball ended up on the back of the green and from there, 66 feet away, he two-putted, sinking the par putt from eight feet. As good as the play was Scheffler’s “you’ve got to be kidding me” look when MacIntyre’s wedge stayed on the green.

The determination to go for it also took time, and by the ninth hole, they were on the clock.

“It's frustrating,” said Scheffler. “I didn't really feel like I did anything to put us behind on time. Bob and I got warned on No. 9, and I felt like we did some pretty good stuff on 9, 10 and 11 and we somehow didn't gain a single second on pace of play. I'm not really sure how that's possible.

“It's just one of those things where all of a sudden now I'm punished for a rules decision I did not totally agree with, and then I can feel it gusting on 12, I can feel it gusting on 13, and there was nothing I can do about it; you've got to get up there and hit the shot. Overall I did what I could to keep us on pace, and hopefully we don't run into that situation tomorrow.”

Gusting might be too strong a word for the baby’s breath of humid wind that floated across the landscape.  It got up to 3 miles-per-hour at one point.

As a world No. 1 with four majors in his pocket, Scheffler likes his position.

“Overall, for how I was hitting it, not a terrible score,” Scheffler said of his 67. “The greens are still pretty soft. I felt like I hit a lot of fairways on the front nine, just wasn't able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped. Overall keep putting myself in position like that, I'm sure the results will improve tomorrow.”

Scheffler played dumb when asked about the catcalls directed toward MacIntyre, but said, “I played with Bob when we were in Scotland. I heard some fairly choice words when I was leading the tournament in Ireland. I think it's part of it.

“People have a tendency to say things that are dumb. I can think of a few things that were said to me in the final round in Ireland that were very far over the line. If you're a fan, it's only going to fire the guy up more, and I think just do your best to behave out there. It can be a little bit silly sometimes.”

Especially on a hot day with cold beer available and the Ryder Cup six weeks away. Those who venture to Caves Valley for Sunday’s spectacle – MacIntyre and Scheffler prance into the starting gate at 12:40 p.m. Chicago time – are advised to bring sunscreen and earplugs.

Around Caves Valley

Ashkay Bhatia aced the par-3 17th, using a 5-iron to cover the 227-yard distance perfectly. Two hops, a four-foot roll and it disappeared. “I didn’t know what to think,” Bhatia said to NBC. “I couldn’t feel my body the rest of the hole.” The 47th hole-in-one in Western Open / BMW history earned Bhatia a new BMW and earned the Evans Scholars Foundation a bonus scholarship from BMW, worth about $100,000. It was the first ace in the tournament in three years (Viktor Hovland made one at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware three years ago). Bhatia scored 4-under 66, making another eagle with a pitch-in earlier. … Cameron Young scored 5-under 65, the round of the day, and is tied for 11th at 5-under 205. … The field averaged 70.754 strokes across the 7,447-yard, par-70 setup. … It was relatively pleasant by Baltimore area standards, the heat index only climbing to 99 by the time leaders MacIntyre and Scheffler teed off, and the wind gusting to all of 3 mph. Cloud cover helped for much of the day, but Sunday is promised to be scalding.

– Tim Cronin