GOLAN, Scotland — Rory McIlroy felt he had no choice but to be happy with the four-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead at the Scottish Open on Friday. He also couldn’t help but wonder how low his score was.
McElroy missed nine shots from 10 feet or closer — eight of those chances — and then made a 5-footer on the 18th to take a one-shot lead over Terrell Hatton, Tom Kim and Byung Hoon An at the Renaissance Club. .
“I thought I hit the ball really well to the tee green,” McIlroy said. “I gave myself a ton of birdie there. I didn’t make my own, but I can’t be happy with anything. I’m excited to have another weekend of competition.”
McIlroy has never won in Scotland – he’s never finished in the top 10 in his previous seven attempts as a pro there – and looks set to take his lead into the major final next week at the British Open at Royal Liverpool.
He was 10 under 130.
An, who had a career-high 61 in the opening round, could only manage 70 in the afternoon when he brought out rain that had been little more than irritating parachutes forever for the final two hours. He missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have tied McIlroy.
“Yesterday, compared to this, it was quieter, today it is more windy, and then it rained and it is difficult to judge the distance,” An said. “I hit some good putts there but not close enough to get a birdie putt. I only got back once, so we’ll see in the next couple of days.”
Hatton got 62, while Kim had 65. And at the Scottish Open a year ago Kim was runner-up while playing on a sponsor’s exemption, a result that resulted in him taking unlimited exemptions and turning one of those into his first PGA Tour win.
“Just something about this place,” Kim said. “I had a great week last year and was really looking forward to coming back. It’s good to be able to play well in the first two rounds and hopefully I can try to keep giving myself chances over the weekend.”
Scotty Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, had a 65 and got within 3 shots of the lead, along with 51-year-old Padraig Harrington (66).
McIlroy missed the cut the last time he was at the Renaissance Club in 2021. He didn’t play last year before the British Open, and this time he was coming off a two-week break.
The British Open at Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy won in 2014. It’s been nine years since he last won a major tournament, and he missed another chance to end his drought at the US Open last month when he finished first behind Windham Clarke.
He sure doesn’t seem to have much rust, especially with his irons and wedge. He wedge the flag on the opening hole to 6 feet for birdie, and he set the tone for the day—at least with his approach shots.
“Honestly, I felt like 4 Under was probably the worst I could shoot out there,” he said.
Facing a tough weekend with the weather. The forecast is rain and wind on Saturday, which has resulted in tours moving up start times from 7am to 9am to avoid the heavy stuff in the afternoon. On Sunday, the forecast was for the strongest winds this week.
Some players won’t have to deal with the weather because they missed the cut, a group that included Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick.
It also included Nikola Colsiers, who had mixed feelings about his exciting day. Colsaerts finally made a holeshot on the European Tour, a career dream. He came in on the 14th hole, and while he followed with a bogey, he responded with another eagle on the par-5 16th, followed by a birdie on the 17th to get inside the cut line.
He then missed a 30-inch putt on the 18th to miss the cut by one shot.
He still leaves with a smile.
“Listen, I mean, I’ve been chasing a hole-in-one in professional golf for 20 years,” said Colsaerts. “Just hit a full wedge on the right line just right. You can’t really see the ball going in, but the reaction from the stands, arms in the air and shouting, is something I’ll remember for a long time.”