He added: “I don’t know if anyone was thrown out, but there was plenty of people to talk to. He [a spectator] was just jeering. He was just shouting I missed it, he’s pushed it. Pushed it right in the middle of the hole, I guess.”

It proved compelling viewing, with both set to go out again on Sunday in the second event of three that make up the FedEx Cup play-offs.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is six shots adrift of MacIntrye at 10 under overall after a two-under 68, while Sam Burns and Harry Hall both went round in 67 to sit at eight under.

Englishman Hall’s performance means he is projected to sit inside the top 30 in the season-long standings after this tournament and advance to next week’s event in Atlanta.

Maverick McNealy and Tommy Fleetwood are another shot back after rounds of 69.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy began his round with a double bogey and could only manage a one-over-par 71 to leave him in a tie for 14th at three under.

Aside from the duel between MacIntyre and Scheffler, the highlight of the day arrived when American Akshay Bhatia, battling for one of the last spots in Atlanta, made a hole in one on the par-three 17th hole with a five-iron.

“When that golf ball goes in, it was the craziest thing in the world,” said Bhatia, who won a new car in the process.

“I couldn’t even feel my body. I don’t really necessarily need a new car: I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got. I think either I’ll give it to my caddie or figure something out to where I can donate it to charity or something.”