Rory McIlroy felt compelled to express his satisfaction with his 4-under 66 on Friday, which gave him a one-shot lead in the Genesis Scottish Open. He also couldn’t help but ponder if his grade could have been any lower.
At the 18th hole at The Renaissance Club, McIlroy made a 5-foot par putt to grab a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim, and Byeong Hun An. He had previously missed nine putts from 10 feet or closer, eight of which were birdie opportunities.
“I believed my shots from the tee to the green were excellent. I gave myself many opportunities to make birdie putts. Even though I didn’t make as many as I would have liked, I can’t help but be happy. I’m thrilled to still be in the running for another weekend.” McIlroy said.
In his seven prior attempts as a professional, McIlroy has never won in Scotland and has never even come close to placing in the top 10. However, he appears to be finding his groove as the final major, as The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, begins next week.
He had a score of 10 under 130.
An, who shot a career-low 61 in the first round, could only manage a 70 in the remaining two hours of play because of rain that had only been a minor inconvenience earlier. On the last hole, he missed a 10-foot birdie putt that would have equaled McIlroy.
“It was much calmer yesterday compared to now, and today is much windier and then rainy, making it difficult to determine distance. I made some solid shots there, but I was just too far away to make a birdie putt. We’ll see in the upcoming two days as I’m the only one back.” A said.
Kim scored a 65 while Hatton earned a 62. Kim finished in second place at the Scottish Open a year earlier while competing on a sponsor exemption; as a result, he was granted an unlimited number of exemptions and used one of them to claim his first PGA TOUR title.
“This place has something in particular. Had a fantastic week the previous year and was eager to return. It’s also wonderful to have played well in the opening two rounds. From here, I’ll just aim to keep giving myself chances throughout the weekend.” Kim said.
Along with 51-year-old Padraig Harrington (66), No. 1 player in the world Scottie Scheffler scored a 65 and was within three shots of the lead.
The last time McIlroy visited The Renaissance Club was in 2021, and he failed to make the cut. He didn’t play last year before The Open, and this time, he had just returned from a two-week vacation.
McIlroy won the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014. He hasn’t won a major since 2009, and last month’s U.S. Open, when he finished one behind Wyndham Clark, presented him with another opportunity to break the streak.
He certainly didn’t appear to have much rust, especially when it came to his irons and wedge. He set the tone for the day, at least with his approach shots, by hitting a wedge at the flag on the first hole to 6 feet for a birdie.
“In all honesty, I thought that shooting 4 under was probably the worst thing I could have done.” he said.
With the weather, he will have a difficult weekend. Since rain and wind are expected on Saturday, the tours’ start hours were moved forward from 7-9 a.m. to avoid the severe rain in the afternoon. The strongest wind of the week was predicted for Sunday.
Because they didn’t make the cut, some players like Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, and Matt Fitzpatrick won’t have to deal with the weather.
This also applies to Nicolas Colsaerts, who felt conflicting emotions following his eventful day. On the DP World Tour, Colsaerts finally accomplished a career goal by making a hole-in-one. It happened on the 14th hole, and although he made a bogey after that, he bounced back with another eagle on the 16th par-5 hole and a birdie on the 17th to move within the cut line.
On the 18th hole, he missed a 30-inch putt, missing the cut by one stroke.
He smiled as he departed.
“Listen, I’ve been trying to hit a hole-in-one in professional golf for twenty or so years. I just made a perfect full wedge strike on my right line. Even though you can’t actually see the ball go in, the cheers and raised arms from the grandstands are something I’ll never forget.” Colsaerts said.
