Rory McIlroy’s putter misfires again as Ludwig Oberg excels at Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy felt an unwelcome sense of déjà vu when his putter missed again in the second round of the Scottish Open. Competing for the first time since falling agonizingly short of a fifth major title at the US Open last month, defending champion McIlroy added a 66 to his first 65 at the Renaissance Club. McIlroy briefly held a two-shot lead with five holes remaining at Pinehurst, but made bogeys on three of his final four, including a 2-foot-6 miss for par at the 16th when he finished behind Bryson DeChambeau .
On Friday, the world No. 2 missed birdie from the same distance at the 16th and nine feet at the next, leaving him three shots behind Ryder Cup teammate Ludwig Oberg. “Yeah, I misread (the 16th),” McIlroy said. “I read the kick directly. I watched him go through the hole and it didn’t seem like he was doing much. He hit it straight but it went a little to the left and right. I felt like I missed a good opportunity at the par three 14th and another at the 17th.
“I probably feel like I should be around Ludwig’s level, if not a little better, after the last few days, but I’m still in a good position. I feel like I left two or three out there yesterday and it was similar today so hopefully I can put it all together over the weekend.
“I saw there was a 62 and a couple of 63s today and that’s what it’s going to take to be right up there around the lead going into Sunday if we get more of these conditions. It’s another weekend where I find myself in the middle of a golf tournament and it’s a good position to be in after the last three weeks I’ve had.
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