MacIntyre’s Best Putting Stretch Ever? 6 Birdies to Close at BMW Championship

Robert MacIntyre opened the 2025 BMW Championship with a stunning 8-under 62, capping his round with six birdies in the final six holes. The Scotsman called it “probably the best putting stretch” of his career, crediting the change to coach Mike Kanski earlier this year for helping him regain comfort and confidence on the greens.

MacIntyre explained how he handled the rain delay—staying warm, changing clothes, and avoiding a typical post-delay slump—and how softer greens afterward allowed him to find the perfect pace. He discussed his shot-by-shot focus, acceptance of mistakes on tough holes, and why his game thrives on demanding courses that reward precision.

The Ryder Cup star also shared details of his putting adjustments, equipment change at the PGA Championship, and the extra work he’s been putting in with his swing coach. With the FedExCup Playoffs in full swing, MacIntyre’s hot start puts him firmly in contention heading into the next rounds.

📺 Watch the full interview for MacIntyre’s breakdown of his round, the keys to his putting surge, and his approach to Olympia Fields.

Okay, good Bob. 10 birdies and six to close in eight under 62. Just give us an assessment of that round uh as it fits into your career. Yeah, it was um yeah, probably the last six holes as good as I’ve ever putted in a stretch of holes. Um just so consistent. But, you know, since I since I changed coach at um Pebble Beach this year on the pattern, I’ve I’ve turned a right corner. I’ve got back to doing what I’m used to used to doing. Um yeah, you don’t expect to hold the big the big long putts. Um I don’t even know how long that one was in the par three, but it was a long way away. Um but I expect to roll in putts. I I work hard at it. I I do a lot on my reads. I do a lot on on my touch and yeah, when when you get the eye in, it’s it’s free flowing. It’s it’s nice. That suspension of play came at a time when it seemed like you came out and just let it go after that. How how different was that for you? Yeah, I’ve not, you know, I’d never been great in restarts after a rain delay. Um, that kind of changed. I changed it up at the US Open this year when we went in for the reind delay on Sunday. I kept myself moving. I kept myself warm. I wasn’t allowing the air conditioning to to almost freeze you and then you can come back out to the heat and it’s a shock. So, it was all about trying to stay warm. Um, in the locker room was a nice temperature so it wasn’t like I was having to keep moving, keep stretching. Um, but I just changed outfit um because of the the conditions. But no, it was it came it came a tough time, but it was um it gave the course a little more to us. Go ahead, Robert. When you’re in a situation like that, how do you stay in it hole by hole, not get ahead of yourself, not think about what’s going on? Yeah, it’s so tough out there. I mean, there’s so many shots that you can’t not think about. um you can’t just stand up there and swing at it because so much trouble likes a 17 18 T-shot it’s just it’s difficult um so for me it was literally just tick off each shot and it’s something that the tougher the test for me the better I can accept things like the T-shot in 112 terrible T-OT but I know a bogey is not horrendous and I can accept I can accept a bogie um it’s on such a tough hole so a bogie is not going to kill you but the tougher the test for me I and I stay switched on and I feel like my the way I play golf is better suited for the tougher test where you’re rewarded for hitting a fairway, you’re rewarded for hitting a green and then take your chance with a putter. So, um, no, just happy with today’s work. Well, you found that with your play in the two opens this year. What about before the raintorm? How did you how were you playing in your mind at that point? Yeah, I was playing great. Um, hadn’t hold any puts to be honest. I had a few chances, but the greens were really slick early on when it when they were dry. Um, when I went back out, they felt a little bit slower, a little bit, I don’t know, smoother. Um, and yeah, I just got the speed of them right away and and dropped in a few long ones and tidied up where I needed to. Remind me the coach that you you’re with now. Yeah, Mike Kansky. He works with loads of guys on tour now out here. Um he’s like Phil Kenyon’s he start he was with Phil and then he’s got a lot of young guys like the Hoy guards. Um so yeah there’s a lot of us with them. Um but no we’ve done we’ve worked hard at at what we’re doing and um continue to do it. What’s the most helpful thing he taught you? I don’t know. It was just we went back to I’ve been with different coaches and ping over my time. Um, and I do the same stuff. It’s just in a different way potentially. Um, I’ve not changed what I’ve done in the pattern since probably the PGA this year. Um, we were trying to do something technically that was statistically better, but for me, I wasn’t feeling comfortable. I wasn’t Yeah, it just wasn’t feeling right. So, we adjusted that. We changed putters. We changed technique again to make me feel comfortable. And then I just the priority is get that putter face as square as I can at impact which I mean it’s not rocket science but it’s difficult to do and um for me that’s the priority just now and we go and do that but then when you get in a in a certain range it’s all pace pattern and touch and my touch is normally pretty good. What week did you change the putter? I think it was actually the Friday or Saturday of the of the PG. We completely changed technique. Um, so I was sitting in a good position after two rounds, changed technique and I mean we didn’t play great over the weekend, but yeah, that was one week and it was like last week I patted beautifully, didn’t play great, but that was a week put it in the put it in the back burner and we go on to this week and had my swing coach out this week and um, we’ve worked hard. I’ve hit more balls the last week and a half than I probably have all season after rounds. Um, so yeah, just happy with the round. Bob, when you when you first saw this golf course, did you have a number in your head about what sort of scores might be posted? And are you surprised that there’s probably a dozen scores under par today? I’m not surprised there scores under par. Like there there is chances. If you drive the ball well, it does give you chances. You got to be on the right side of the holes to have to be able to give a putt a go. Um, I didn’t see my score. But again, when when you get in a when we we get in a rhythm, you it’s just and when it gets soft like that, as long as it can be, if you’re hitting fairways and then par threes, you put it on a tea, it’s it’s um yeah, I’m sure the next couple of days won’t be as won’t be as easy. Everybody good? Thank you. Cheers. Thank you everybody.