After draining a 7-foot putt, Robert MacIntyre celebrated his par before signalling at a heckler to shut up. Simply put, the scenes at Caves Valley are getting wild as the intense contest between the Scottish pro and America’s own, Scottie Scheffler, will go into Championship Sunday. 4 strokes separate the two golfers as MacIntyre’s 18th hole birdie helped him increase his lead against the world #1. He will be a favorite to win the 2025 BMW Championship, but he is certainly not the favorite on the course. However, Scheffler remained oblivious to the situation.

He was asked to comment on all the hecklers MacIntyre faced on the course today. Curating his statement carefully, the 4-time major winner said, “I didn’t see any of that. 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.”

Scheffler also faced a lot of harassment during his trip to the U.K. this year. One of the most surprising ones was during The Open 2025 at Royal Portrush, when one of the fans screamed, “Rory is coming to get you,” during one of his plays. Being one of the best golfers in the world, he is used to such a nuisance on the course. However, it’s not every day that MacIntyre challenges the world #1 for a big title. So when things got heated, he reacted to it. And after the round, the Scottish pro wasn’t afraid to comment on it as well.

In the post-round interview, one of the reporters asked him if he relishes being in the spotlight where he is pitted against the best in the world and heckled by the crowd. MacIntyre replied, “Yeah, I totally expected it. I totally expected to be in this situation today when I’m in this position. It’s going to be the exact same tomorrow. Yeah, I’ll give as good back as I get. Look, I thought I played great. There was obviously a couple of shouts. But no, there’s plenty of security there that are hearing it and seeing it, and yeah, I did see them talk to a few people. I don’t know if anyone was thrown out, but there was plenty of people to talk to.”

It seems like Robert was anticipating such a reaction from the fans when he knew he would be grouped with Scottie. But he let his game do the talking as he was still able to end the day on a high note. With a 4-stroke lead going into the final round, MacIntyre has given himself a huge advantage over Scheffler and the rest of the field as he tries to win his first BMW Championship.

However, there is a lot more at play here than just a playoff win. With the Ryder Cup conversation ongoing, let’s see how Robert MacIntyre’s win can change the atmosphere in the Team U.S. dressing room.

Scottie Scheffler’s loss is Team Europe’s gain

Beating Scottie Scheffler will not only be a win for Robert MacIntyre but for the entire Team Europe. Last week, Justin Rose triumphed over the world #1 and the rest of the field to win the FedEx St Jude Championship. If MacIntyre also does the same this week, then that will become a cause of concern for Keegan Bradley & Co. Team U.S. still doesn’t have a defined 12-man squad with quite a few spots still left to be filled.

The team does have many candidates to fill it, but finding the right dynamic of players is vital. However, if their best player, Scottie Scheffler, is consistently losing titles to European golfers during the playoffs, then that raises the question: Who can beat Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre at Bethpage? Will Keegan Bradley risk joining as a playing captain to try and do it himself or entrust someone else to do the job for him? Only time will tell. And for Team U.S., the time is running out.