NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND – Rory McIlroy took advantage of a scoring hole in windy conditions to shoot a four-under 66 and take a three-way share of the lead at the Scottie Scheffler-less Scottish Open.
While McIlroy looked comfortable, Scheffler struggled from the start, ultimately finishing with a 72 and missing the 36-hole cut for the first time in nearly four years. He has made 78 consecutive cuts, the longest since Tiger Woods set the record (142) more than 20 years ago.
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“I didn’t get off to a great start, and after that I didn’t get a lot of attention,” Scheffler said. “That allows you to shoot above par.”
England’s Jordan Smith posted a 63, the lowest score of the tournament, to take the lead at 9-under 131, joined by the resurgent Tom Kim (66) and McIlroy, who has not won since back-to-back matches at the Masters in April.
“I wish I could have been a little better,” McIlroy said. “But it’s obviously another good day and we’re in a good position.”
But the most surprising development at the Renaissance Club was Scheffler. Rather than heading to the practice range after his round, he had plans to head south sooner than he had imagined to defend his British Open title at Royal Birkdale.
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He hadn’t missed a spot since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Scheffler had equally remarkable allies. Patrick Cantlay and Bernd Wiesberger became the first players since Jordan Spieth to share the 18-hole lead at the 2023 Sony Open and still miss the cut. Cantlay shot a 74 and Wisberger shot 43 on the back nine for a 78.
Brooks Koepka, who entered the round one stroke behind the leader, also missed the cut.
McIlroy, who won the Scottish Open three years ago, has found a new wedge to help him on the hard grass of Renaissance and Birkdale. He still faces a busy leaderboard heading into the weekend.
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Smith had four straight birdies early on the back nine, all within 10 feet. Kim tied for third at the U.S. Open at Sinek Hills, sinking a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 seventh and finishing with two birdies in the final five holes.
Kim has fallen from the top 100 rankings in the world, but has been steadily climbing up the rankings. The U.S. Open was a big step for him, ultimately qualifying him for the British Open.
“I think it was good in a way that I stayed under the radar, just being able to work on my game and keep getting better,” Kim said. “You’re not always in the spotlight, you’re not always seeing it all, you’re not seeing all the good things. I knew I was really, really close. And I’m still trying to be the best version of myself that I can be. But all those little things just kept building and building and building, and I think that’s shown in the last few weeks.”
Matt Fitzpatrick shot a 65, tying him with Lee Min-woo and was just one stroke away from taking first place. The 133rd-place group included defending champion Chris Gotterup and Scotland’s Robert McIntyre, who thrilled the arena gallery with a 30-foot birdie putt near the par-3 15th hole. The cheers were so loud that he raised his putter and saluted them.
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Gotterup, playing alongside McIlroy and McIntyre, was one stroke off the lead on the 18th play when he ran into the tall, dense grass. In the wind, his iron bounced violently, rolling nearly 100 yards, over the green and into the television tower.
He made a great chip shot from the drop area, but fell short of par. Still, he was two points away from his fourth win of the year. Gotterup won the John Deere Classic.
At the British Open, three spots are given to the top finishers who have not yet qualified. Among the players at the halfway point was world No. 258 Nikolai von Dellingshausen (Germany), who won his first European Tour victory at last year’s Austrian Open.
“Honestly, I was nervous,” he said. “This is the best field of players I’ve played in this year. We’ve got some good players. We’re just trying to make our own plays without drawing too much attention.”
