Rory McIlroy will head into the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open in a share of the lead after a second-round 66 that left him nine under par – but the sight of world number one Scottie Scheffler heading home early overshadowed the leaderboard at the Renaissance Club.
McIlroy, who won this event in 2023, almost chipped in for an eagle at the first, settling for a birdie, before picking up three further shots to reach the turn in 31. He nearly holed his approach to the 13th but then made his only significant mistake, missing the resulting par putt. The 35-year-old quickly made amends, almost eagling the 14th and tapping in a birdie that put him back into a three-way tie for first.
“Rory McIlroy shares lead at nine under but world No 1 Scottie Scheffler misses cut at Scottish Open.”
“I thought I played well again,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “The wind definitely got up in the afternoon but I got off to a really nice start. By the turn the wind had got to its strongest and it was hard to get the ball close to the pins and we were all just making a lot of pars. It would have been nice to be a couple better but it’s obviously another solid day and I’m in a great position. I’m excited for the weekend.”
Joining McIlroy at the top were England’s Jordan Smith, who carded a day’s best seven-under-par 63 featuring a run of four successive birdies from the 11th, and South Korea’s Tom Kim. Matt Fitzpatrick sits a shot back after a 65 that included five straight birdies, alongside Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
Robert MacIntyre, the 2024 winner who was playing alongside McIlroy and defending champion Chris Gotterup, finished on seven under after a 66. Gotterup, who also won the John Deere Classic last weekend, matched him with a 65. US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Danny Willett were among the players on six under.
But the biggest story of the day was Scheffler’s exit. The Masters champion needed a birdie at the par-three ninth, his final hole, to make the cut at two under but failed to hole a chip from just off the green and missed a six-foot par putt. “A little different to what I was planning,” he said. “I’ll figure out how to get down to Birkdale and kind of go from there.”
Also missing the cut were US PGA champion Aaron Rai, newly-crowned US Senior Open winner Padraig Harrington, fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, and another recent Open champion in Xander Schauffele. Spain’s Jon Rahm, who was five over after 11 holes on Thursday, continued his recovery with a 65 to make the weekend.
The cut fell at two under, meaning a far-from-ideal Royal Birkdale preparation for Scheffler as he looks ahead to next week’s final major of the year. McIlroy, meanwhile, will aim to convert his position into a second Scottish Open title.