| -10 R McIlroy (NI); -9 T Kim (Kor), T Hatton (Eng), B-H An (Kor); -8 S Burns (US), B Harman (US); -7 S Scheffler (US), N Hoejgaard (Den), P Harrington (Irl); -6 G Forrest (Sco), R Fowler (US), S Soederberg (Swe), M Homa (US), D Hiller (Nzl), E Ferguson (Sco), M Schneider (Ger) |
| Selected others: -5 S Lowry (Irl), -4 V Hovland (Nor), R MacIntyre (Sco), X Schauffele (US), T Fleetwood (Eng), E J Rose (Eng) +1 J Spieth (US), Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Full leaderboard |
Rory McIlroy is the man to catch at the Scottish Open halfway stage despite his frustrating day on the greens.
The Northern Irishman posted five birdies in a four-under 66 to lead by a stroke on 10 under, but failed to fully capitalise on “a ton” of opportunities.
Tyrrell Hatton is in a three-way tie for second after an eight-under 62, the lowest score of a rain-lashed day at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.
World number one Scottie Scheffler lurks ominously three off the lead.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts went from the high of a hole in one on the 14th, to the low of missing the cut with a lip-out four-foot bogey at the last.
The later starters bore the brunt of the worsening conditions as heavy winds and rain battered the course. And with thunderstorms forecast on Saturday afternoon, the third-round tee times have been brought forward to 07:00-09:00 BST.
Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson are both firmly in the mix at six under, with compatriot Robert MacIntyre two shots back after a bogey-bogey finish.
McIlroy, whose sole dropped shot came on the 17th, opened with a birdie and holed for another from 18 feet on the 10th, but was frequently found wanting from about half that distance.
The world number three is ready to “embrace” the challenging weather over the weekend as he chases a first win on Scottish soil.
“I hit the ball really well tee to green and gave myself a ton of looks,” said McIlroy. “Honestly, it felt like four under was probably the worst I could have shot out there.
“But you know, it’s swings and roundabouts. I held a couple of long ones yesterday to shoot a good score, and then missed a couple today.
“I’m playing well enough tee to green to give myself some looks and hang in there, so I’m pretty confident going into the next two days no matter what the weather throws at us.”
Hatton emerged from a “stressful” second round with his hopes heightened of a first win in two and a half years.
Starting the day eight strokes off the lead, the 31-year-old reeled off nine birdies and a bogey to set the early clubhouse target of nine under which was matched by South Korea’s Tom Kim. First-round leader Byeong-hun An joined them after following his course record-equalling 61 with a level-par 70.
“I had three weeks off after the US Open and you probably saw a little bit on Thursday I was fatting a few shots,” said Hatton.
“I was hitting balls off mats last week and, even though I got here Monday night I still had not managed to get the ball first. We managed to do that today and hopefully that continues this weekend.”
Colsaerts will not be around the weekend, but was able to savour his career-first ace, with his tee shot landing left of the pin before spinning into the cup.
The Belgian said: “You can’t really see the ball go in, but the reaction from the grandstands, the arms in the air and the shouts, is something that I’ll remember for a long time.
“I’ve been chasing a hole in one in professional golf for 20-something years. I’m super happy that it happens to be in Scotland. I’ve had a special relationship with these people since day one.”
Among those who also missed the cut were English pair Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose, fellow major winner Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay.
