Golf

Rory McIlroy hangs tough to stay in hunt for Scottish Open title defence

World number two trails leader Ludvig Aberg by three shots after battling to a 66 on Friday

Rory McIlroy plays an iron on the second hole during the second round of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. Photograph: Malcolm Mackenzie/PA Wire
Philip Reid
Fri Jul 12 2024 - 20:07

Sometimes, it’s about hanging tough. And for Rory McIlroy – the world number two and defending champion – a second-round 66 for a midway total of nine-under-par 131 in the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick enabled the Northern Irishman to stay in the mix but with some work to do to catch Swede Ludvig Aberg.

McIlroy, among a sextet of players in tied-fifth, but just three strokes behind midway leader Aberg, had five birdies and one bogey – which came after a wayward drive down the right on 11 where he was forced to take a penalty drop away from a tree – in a round that threatened to get away from him.

“I wasn’t totally on with my swing, so I had to manage my misses,” admitted McIlroy, playing for the first time since the US Open at Pinehurst last month when he let slip a lead over the closing holes of the final round to lose out to Bryson DeChambeau. “But I thought I did a good job of hanging in there, even though I didn’t feel my best, especially over those last three holes.”

McIlroy, in fact, had birdie looks on the 16th and 17th but didn’t manage to convert. His birdies came on the first, third and fifth to turn in 32 and he then added further birdies on the 10th and 13th. But he closed with five straight pars, including failing to birdie the par-five 16th, and will have to find some improvement headed into the weekend to catch Aberg.

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“I’m right in the mix going into the weekend. There’s few birdie opportunities in that first six holes and I feel that’s important from there to see where I am. If I can keep playing the way I am playing and limit the mistakes I definitely feel like there is a lower one in me.

“I saw a 62 [by Alejandro Del Rey] and 63s [by Rasmus Hojgaard and Matteo Manassero] out there so, if we continue to get conditions like that, then that’s what it is going to take to be around the lead going into Sunday,” said McIlroy.

Séamus Power has yet to earn his place in the field for next week’s 152nd Open at Royal Troon and would need to move up the leaderboard to earn one of the final three exemptions into the field.

At least the Waterford man ensured he gave himself that chance, after a second-round 67 for four-under-par 136 for tied-47th (an improvement of 45 places on his first round) enabled him to survive the midway cut which fell at 137. Tom McKibbin and Pádraig Harrington were among those to miss out, although both are in the field for Troon.

Aberg, the 24-year-old Swede who has risen to world number four in just over one year as a professional, will make his Open debut next week and enjoyed a preview visit to the links with Viktor Hovland last Monday before heading on to the Renaissance.

“Links is a little bit different, whether you like it or not, and we had two great days with the wind and the weather. It was nice to see it before the whole chaos starts next week and it was nice to see it in a little bit more of a calmer environment. But our focus is here this week. We’re trying to perform the best we can and then, when next week comes around the corner, we’ll be ready for that,” said Aberg, who shot a second-round 64 for a 36-holes total of 128, one shot clear of Frenchman Antoine Rozner.

In the Evian Championship, the fourth of five Majors for women, a threat of lightning forced play to be abandoned and due to resume Saturday but Leona Maguire – who shot a second-round 72 for 144, in tied-78th – looked set to miss the cut. Stephanie Meadow was eight over in tied-121st with 10 holes remaining of her second round when play was halted.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times