Macintyre Holds Four-shot Lead At Texas Open

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre maintained his beardown shape pinch a information of 64 for a four-shot halfway lead astatine nan Texas Open successful San Antonio.

MacIntyre had 4 birdies successful his past 5 holes pinch his playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate Ludwig Aberg of Sweden his nearest challenger.

Starting connected nan backmost nine, nan world number 11 put down a marker pinch an eight-foot eagle putt astatine nan par-five 14th and followed that up pinch birdies astatine his adjacent 2 holes.

The only blemish for nan 29-year-old was a bogey astatine nan 17th earlier he regrouped to decorativeness pinch a flourish for a assurance boost up of nan Masters which originates successful Augusta connected Thursday.

"I've been driving nan shot nice," said nan Scot. "I've sewage a caller driver successful nan bag. Iron play coming was exceptional I would say.

"I deed a axenic wedge changeable connected 17, I thought it was perfectly dynamite there. Approach play, hitting nan number, hitting nan targets. Got to decorativeness disconnected pinch bully putting. Overall, conscionable really solid.

"I didn't play present past year, conscionable went consecutive into Augusta. This was an accommodation for that reason. I wanted to beryllium crisp - aliases sharper - going into Augusta."

Aberg had 4 birdies complete his first 14 holes earlier an eagle astatine nan sixth, but he vanished pinch a bogey.

"For me, play is astir putting yourself successful situations wherever you tin triumph tournaments," he said.

"I consciousness for illustration I haven't really done that very good nan past 12 months aliases so, but starting to spot it now, which has been really nice. Starting to get backmost into that level, which is really bully for maine to see. So I'm looking guardant to 1 much changeable astatine it this week."

Among those 1 changeable backmost are six-time PGA Tour victor Tony Finau who is chasing a first triumph since April 2023 and who needs a triumph to beryllium invited to nan Masters.

The 36-year-old American vanished his information powerfully pinch an eagle putt astatine nan 18th.

"It was bully to make an eagle connected nan last," he said. "I deed a really bully drive, pushed my 2nd changeable a little, sewage lucky, covered nan h2o and was capable to rotation that 1 in. Sometimes those are nan mini small breaks that you request to beryllium towards nan apical of nan leaderboard."