Bob MacIntyre is heading into next month’s Ryder Cup as ‘one of the boys’ after admitting that a first team group chat for the match in Italy two years ago had been a game-changer in terms of contacts. The Oban man was one of four rookies on Luke Donald’s team for the 2023 contest at Marco Simone Golf Club on the outskirts of Rome, joining Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard in facing the Americans for the first time. The quartet helped Europe regain the trophy with a 16.5-11.5 victory and now MacIntyre has secured automatic selection again for an eagerly-awaited defence at Bethpage Black on Long Island. After completing his second round in the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour’s season-ending event in Atlanta, on Friday, MacIntyre was asked how many numbers he didn’t know in the first group chat for the team two years ago. “Out of the 12 players, probably eight of them,” he revealed. So, he only had four of the players on his phone before Rome? “Yeah. A bit different now,” he added with a smile. A week after being bitterly disappointed to lose out to Scottie Scheffler in the BMW Championship in Maryland, MacIntyre is back in the mix heading into the weekend in the $40 million season finale at East Lake. Finishing birdie-birdie, the 29-year-old followed his opening 64 with a bogey-free 66 to sit on 10 under, three shots behind halfway leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley. “Same again,” said MacIntyre of what he had been pleased with in his second-day effort. “I drove the ball great again and putting still decent. Didn't hole anything special, but just tidied up when I needed to. I was disappointed in my wedges, to be honest. I didn't hit many close. I hit the one on 17 close eventually.” MacIntyre finished 17th on his debut in the event 12 months ago to end up joint-17th on the FedEx Cup points list. He came into this week sitting ninth and has his sights on finishing the US campaign with a bang. “I was struggling with injury,” he said of his debut, having been forced to withdraw from the BMW Championship in Denver due to a loweer back injury on that occasion and flying Fife-based physio Stuart Barton over to the US to get him sorted. “I was lucky just to get on the golf course last year. I think I finished 17th last year, so trying to do better. Yeah, this week I'm trying to win the golf tournament, trying to win the whole thing.” Fleetwood set up another chance to land a long-overdue first win on US soil as he carded a second-round 63 to join first-round pacesetter Henley (66) at the top of the leaderboard. Cameron Young, who is trying to secure one of Keegan Bradley’s US Ryder Cup picks, catapulted himself into third place on the back of a best-of-the-day 62. Though having to settle for a 69 in his second circuit, world No 1 Scheffler is still lurking ominously on eight under, one ahead of a group that includes Genesis Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, as well as both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.