Scheffler misses cut at Scottish Open
Genesis Scottish Open second round
-9 R McIlroy (NI), T Kim (Kor), J Smith (Eng); -8 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), MW Lee (Aus); -7 R MacIntyre (Sco), C Gotterup (US), V Perez (Fra), J Luiten (Ned), N Von Dellingshausen (Ger), S Yellamaraju (Can), K Nakajima (Jpn)
Selected others: -4 J Thomas (US); -3 T Fleetwood (Eng); -2 J Rahm (Spa); E S Scheffler (US)
Seventy-eight events. Four years. 1,428 days. Scottie Scheffler's long and impressive run of cuts made is now over.
Nobody could have predicted this outcome. The world number one had not finished outside the top 25 in any tournament since 2024.
The four-time major champion arrived at The Renaissance Club this week aiming for his first victory on Scottish soil to enhance his already impressive record and enter his Open Championship title defence with momentum.
Instead, Scheffler will not continue beyond the halfway point. A two-over 72 in the second round ended his Genesis Scottish Open campaign, while Rory McIlroy posted a 66 to maintain a share of the lead.
The Northern Irishman is tied at the top on nine under par alongside England's Jordan Smith, who carded a 63, and South Korea's Tom Kim.
Scheffler finished on level par, two strokes short of the cut line. Needing a chip-in birdie on the final hole, he instead recorded a bogey, extinguishing any remaining hope.
This marks Scheffler's first missed cut in a PGA Tour event since the 2022 FedEx St Jude Championship. The longest active streak of consecutive cuts made on the circuit now belongs to Matt Fitzpatrick, at 28.
"I don't feel I played that badly"
Scheffler loses 'proud' cut streak at Scottish Open
Scheffler expressed surprise as he tried to understand the outcome.
"It felt like nothing was going right," the 30-year-old American said.
"I didn't really feel like I played that bad. This golf course can be just tough at times. There's some humps and mounds out there.
"I don't think I finished outside of the top 20 or something like that many times this year. So I'm definitely proud of the consistency and wish I had a couple of days over the weekend to make up some ground."
After a solid 68 on Thursday, Scheffler appeared set to contend. However, he started the second round poorly with two bogeys on holes 11 and 12 within his first three holes.
He managed two birdies during a frustrating day, but these were offset by two additional bogeys as his fortunes declined in sunny East Lothian.
Despite the disappointment, Scheffler can now prepare for his Open Championship defence at Royal Birkdale earlier than planned. Following another challenging Scottish Open, he was non-committal about returning next year.
"This is a golf course I feel like I can play well on," he said. "I just haven't for some reason. I think this is my second missed cut here.
"It's funny. Last year, I got really frustrated on this golf course playing some good golf and just not really able to get anything going as well. Then I went and played well at The Open Championship.
"So it's suiting me well over the years. I haven't played well here but I've played pretty well at The Open. I'll reflect on that kind of at the end of the year and assess what my plans are going into next season."
McIlroy stays on top, English pair flourish
McIlroy shoots four under par 66 to share lead
After sharing a five-way lead in the first round, McIlroy found himself four shots behind early starter Jordan Smith by the time he began his afternoon round.
The world number two quickly erased the deficit with four birdies in his first eight holes. He dropped only one shot at the 13th following a wayward drive but immediately recovered.
"Once we turned for home the wind got its strongest for the day and it was hard to hit it close, quite a lot of crosswinds," McIlroy said.
"I felt like I did well to hang on. Maybe could have been one or two better but overall it was a good day."
Patrick Cantlay fell from co-leader overnight to missing the cut. Ludvig Aberg and Brooks Koepka also failed to advance, while Jon Rahm just made the cut after a 65 lifted him to two under par.
In contrast to Scheffler's difficulties, playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick excelled, moving to eight under, just one shot off the lead. He shares that score with 2021 Scottish Open champion Min Woo Lee.
Fitzpatrick, pursuing his fourth win of the season, surged up the leaderboard with five consecutive birdies starting at the 11th hole, his second of the round, carding a 65.
"Just felt like I did everything pretty solid. I feel fortunate enough to say that a lot this year," Fitzpatrick said.
"This stretch of sort of March, February onwards to now, it's definitely the best golf I've played in my career."
Home favorite Bob MacIntyre posted a 66, aided by three consecutive birdies on the back nine, leaving him two shots behind the leaders.
Jordan Smith, ranked 82nd in the world, credited a recent break for his strong performance, which produced the lowest round of the day.
"I had three weeks off, put the clubs away for a week and then came back re-energised and looking forward to this next stretch," Smith said.
"Things are feeling good. I'm in a good mental space and just need to keep it going."
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