Chris Gotterup (-11) has maintained the lead at the Scottish Open, secured during the morning session of play and once the second round was completed. It was almost expected to be so, once the wind began to blow stronger in the afternoon over the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, although there can always be someone who, against all odds, can come from behind. Ludvig Aberg (-8), for example…
– The Swede has not seriously threatened Gotterup‘s position, to be honest, but he has signed the best afternoon result, an excellent card of 65 strokes that has placed him in the last groups on Saturday. The truth is that, considering Aberg‘s standards of play and results, it had been too long since he was seen making a bold and strong statement. More or less, since that seventh place he achieved at the Masters. Afterwards, of course, he has finished tournaments and consistent results, but without being fully in the fight for victory. Today he started with two bogeys and finished on the 18th with another one, but in between, he gave a real lesson. His hitting is so pure that it almost seems like he doesn’t have to adapt to the new environment, to links golf and the wind.
– Alejandro del Rey (-6) was another standout in the afternoon session with a score of 67 strokes that left him on the verge of the top ten and five strokes off the lead. Considering that he likes this course (he likes links courses in general, and this Renaissance in particular) and that last year he already appeared in the hot zone, it cannot be ruled out that he can keep pushing and getting closer to the lead. The Madrid native has a very clear idea of what he is going to encounter and, in general terms, confirms the analysis of many other competitors. “Last year I played well here. On this course, it’s relatively easy to get on a roll, as soon as you make two putts here and there’s a bounce that favours you, but in the same way, it’s very easy to cool down when the details are not in your favour.”
Let’s see: it’s true that there isn’t much rough on the Scottish course and that you can get away with some escapes, but surely the Spanish player would benefit from hitting more fairways than he did today, because technically he only hit three (another two balls were left in the semi-rough, very well placed). It’s Murphy’s law: you can get away with it until you’re really playing for something important… In reality, and although the result was the same (a card of 67 strokes), his round on Thursday was much more orderly (he hit up to nine fairways) and perhaps serves more as a model, now that it’s time to play for the big money in the last groups on a Saturday with several of the best players in the world.
Del Rey really needs a good week to regain esteem and confidence, as since his victory in Ras Al Khaimah, a few months ago, he has barely been seen in the upper part of the leaderboard.
– The wind also lent a hand to Jorge Campillo (-1), who is the other Spanish player who will be there for the weekend, the rest have been left out (Chacarra, Larrazábal, Hidalgo, and Elvira). The Extremaduran had to wait all afternoon to see if that total of -1 would end up making it, as it did. In some way, it must be said, the help of Eolo does some justice to Campillo‘s play, which has really been above the result.
– The first match to go out on the course in the third round is noteworthy, formed by Robert MacIntyre (-1) and Justin Thomas (-1). The Scot, defending the title, made it into the cut at the last gasp, with a birdie on the 17th, par 3, that was close to being a hole-in-one, much to the delight of the local crowd. And the one from Kentucky pushed it even further, playing a superb 18th hole to finish with a birdie right on the number and earn the privilege of playing two more rounds.
– As for the World Number One, Scottie Scheffler (-5), it should be noted that for now, he remains in a modest second row, today even laughing out loud on some green (laughing not to cry…) and that, one way or another, he remains a candidate to be reckoned with with 36 holes to go. Tomorrow he tees off at 13:35, local time, alongside Wyndham Clark and a long hour ahead of the star match, formed by Chris Gotterup and Harry Hall.
