Robert MacIntyre up 4 on Scottie Scheffler at PGA Tour's BMW - ESPN

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Robert MacIntyre was up to the test of facing the No. 1 player in the world Saturday, holing a collection of big par putts and then delivering a 40-foot birdie on the final hole for a 2-under 68 and a four-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler in the BMW Championship.

Scheffler picked up one stroke on the five-shot deficit he faced at the start of the steamy afternoon at Caves Valley. He never got closer than three shots.

MacIntyre, the lefty from Scotland, got out of several jams, none bigger than the short fifth hole when he drove over a hazard line into the bushes. He decided to hack out, and it shot some 70 feet away for a putt straight down a series of ridges.

He two-putted for par, making an 8-footer, one example of his grit before a large gallery that favored British Open champion Scheffler.

MacIntyre holed an 8-foot putt on the 14th, then turned toward a hospitality area and placed his index finger to his mouth, shushing whoever got under his Scottish skin.

He was at 16-under 194, and gets one more day with golf's best. Scheffler finally ended a streak of 37 holes without a bogey and efficiently put together a 67, his 16th straight round under par on tour — the fifth-longest streak of rounds in the 60s since 1970.

Ludvig Åberg entered the mix. The Swedish star appears to be emerging from a summer slumber and shot 68 that left him alone in third. He was still six shots behind MacIntyre.

No one else was closer than eight shots of the lead.

The BMW Championship is the penultimate postseason event that decides the top 30 in the FedEx who advance to the Tour Championship for a shot at the $10 million prize.

Akshay Bhatia helped his chances with an amazing day that included a hole-in-one on the 17th hole