BMW leader Bobby Mac shares how he went from being red-faced to red-hot with the putter

As this PGA Tour season’s outset, Scotsman Robert MacIntyre could not have fathomed what he achieved in the first round of this week’s BMW Championship, making an astonishing 195 feet, 2 inches of putts en route to a 62 that gave him a three-shot margin. He birdied the last six holes and said it was “as good as I’ve ever putted a stretch of holes.”

MacIntyre wasn’t quite as hot with the putter on Friday in the second round at par-70 Caves Valley, but he still made 100 feet of putt in spreading out six birdies to shoot a bogey-free 64. The 14-under total—the lowest 36-hole effort of MacIntyre’s career—gave him a five-shot lead over World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler heading into the penultimate weekend of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs in Owings Mills, Md.

Nothing like this seemed remotely possible earlier in the year, when MacIntyre uncharacteristically struggled on the greens after finishing a solid 35th in strokes gained/putting last season.

Even after two top-10 finishes early in 2025, MacIntyre wasn’t happy, and his frustration peaked at the Masters, where he shot a pair of 75s at Augusta National and missed the cut.

Rather than hoping things would get better, the two-time tour winner last season went to work. The left-hander sought out Phil Kenyon protégé Mike Kanski to coach him in putting, and after the initial technique work didn’t satisfy either, MacIntyre switched his instrument—from a Scotty Cameron to a TaylorMade Spider GT. He also made the bold move to try a different technique in the middle of May’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

“The priority is getting that putter face as square as I can at impact, which it's not rocket science, but it's difficult to do,” MacIntyre said after Thursday’s 62. “For me, that's the priority now, just to go and do that. Then when you get in a certain range, it's all pace putting and touch, and my touch is normally pretty good.”

The results were almost immediate, with MacIntyre tying for sixth in his next start at Colonial, followed by a solo second behind J.J. Spaun in the U.S. Open at Oakmont. He posted another strong major finish with a T-7 in the British Open at Portrush.

“I've always said when I'm comfortable with a putter in my hands, it's a dangerous thing,” MacIntyre said.

This week, he’s been untouchable on the greens, gaining 6.753 strokes in putting to top the field. He’s No. 1 in approach, too, at 6.825.

“The tougher the test for me, I stay switched on,” MacIntyre said. “And I feel like the way I play golf is better suited for the tougher tests, where you're rewarded for hitting a fairway, you're rewarded for hitting a green, and then take your chances with the putter.”

A victory in Maryland would be MacIntyre’s third on tour in 14 months and his first on American soil, with the two wins last year coming in the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open. The biggest reward with a win: It would rocket him up the FedEx Cup standings from 20th to third, with only next week’s Tour Championship left to be played. That position would earn MacIntyre a total of more than $6.1 million for the week, combining the BMW winner’s share ($3.6 million) and new second-event playoffs bonus for being No. 3 ($2.595 million).