MacIntyre knows score as major opportunity looms

“There’s potential. It could be anyone’s time,” said the world number 14.

“I feel happy, confident, comfortable. I’m going to go out and give it my best shot all the way through to Sunday afternoon. I’m not scared. I’m not going to back away.

“Hopefully come the 69th, 70th hole, I’ve got a chance. And if I’ve got a chance, I’m going to roll the dice.”

MacIntyre bemoaned that putts did not drop for him on Thursday, but his work on the greens didn’t need to be stellar on Friday to pick up strokes.

Instead, better accuracy off the tee allowed him to get closer with his approach shots. His longest holed putt was shy of seven feet and he never got sandy shoes.

Close-range birdies on three, five and seven roared him to three under, with two more at 12 and 13 suddenly lifting him high up those leaderboards.

A dropped shot on 16 – his only one of the day – was recovered immediately, before par at the last closed out a splendid 66.

“For almost all 18 holes today, I felt like I did what I did on the front nine yesterday,” MacIntyre said. “I played aggressively but smart at the same time.

“I feel like this is where I want to be and these are the tournaments I want to compete really hard in.

“However long my career is going to be, this is what I want to do. Until I give it up, I’m going to give it my best shot.”