Gotterup fires course-record 61 as MacIntyre narrowly makes Scottish Open cut

Gotterup fires record 61 as MacIntyre clings on at Scottish Open

Chris Gotterup lit up the Renaissance Club with a stunning, bogey-free 61 to seize a two-shot lead at the Genesis Scottish Open, while defending champion Bob MacIntyre clung on to make the cut after a dramatic back-nine fightback.

Gotterup, ranked 158th in the world, carded nine birdies in his second round to set a new course record at 11 under par. The 25-year-old American was briefly on pace for a historic sub-60 round before finishing with four steady pars.

“It [59] never really crossed my mind,” Gotterup admitted. “I made the putt on 14 and thought about 16, but 17 and 18 are tough holes. I can’t complain about a round like this.”

MacIntyre digs deep to stay alive

Scotland’s home favourite Bob MacIntyre looked destined for an early exit after a double bogey on the par-four 13th left him two shots outside the cut line.

But the Oban native showed grit on the closing stretch, producing clutch birdies on the par-three 14th and 17th—where he almost aced his tee shot—to post a one-over 71 and finish one under par, just inside the cut line.

“I could have lost the plot there,” said MacIntyre. “But I kept fighting. Growing up on a short course with lots of par-threes probably helped me today.”

Leaderboard highlights

• -11 🇺🇸 Chris Gotterup

• -9 🏴 Harry Hall

• -8 🏴 Matt Fitzpatrick, 🏴 Marco Penge, 🇸🇪 Ludvig Åberg

• -7 🇬🇧 Rory McIlroy, 🇨🇦 Nick Taylor, 🇺🇸 Keith Mitchell, 🇩🇪 Matti Schmid, 🇺🇸 Jake Knapp, 🇦🇹 Sepp Straka

McIlroy and Scheffler make moves

Rory McIlroy capitalized on calm morning conditions to shoot a 65, moving to seven under and firmly into contention.

“It felt like if you weren’t three or four under on the front nine, you were losing ground,” said McIlroy. “I’m excited for the weekend, right in contention.”

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler endured tougher afternoon winds, posting a solid 68 to sit at five under, alongside fellow American Xander Schauffele.

Big names to miss the cut

• 🏌️‍♂️ JJ Spaun (+2)

• 🏌️‍♂️ Collin Morikawa (+4) after a disastrous 76

What’s next?

The weekend promises more drama as Gotterup looks to hold off a chasing pack of Ryder Cup stars and young guns in East Lothian.