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Brian Keogh
Rory McIlroy delivered a combative finish, but his roller coaster 70 left him in the fumes of playing partners Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas at the abrdn Scottish Open.
The world number 11 was fighting about finding her groove for The Open and mixed five birdies with four bogeys at the Renaissance Club and will probably need a round in his sixties to make the cut today.
The Englishman Jack Senior took advantage of the calm conditions and made eight birdies in a seven-under-64 to get by a shot from world no. 3 Thomas and Lee Westwood with world no. 1 and reigning US Open champion Rahm in a nine-man tie for fourth place to lead an easy 66.
« Rory obviously hasn’t played very well for his standards and we know he did better can, « said Thomas, who made a 90-foot eagle putt in the seventh of his 65s. « But Jon and I kind of ate each other, » others were just trying to stay in the tournament. «
It was a day of ups and downs for McIlroy, who only made three pars and a one- Over had to play with three before showing his class at the finish.
After placing the par-five-sixteen twice from a long distance, he pulled his tee shot to four feet at 203-yard 17th before stepping up and down from 90 yards for par on the 18th, striking a 12-foot stroke for his 70.
Pádraig Harrington was the best of the Irish, finishing 13th after finishing ninth Place scored a 50-foot for a 4 under 67 when Cormac Sharvin dropped three shots, finishing in 73rd with McIlroy on a 70. Graeme McDowell only made one putt in a two-over-73 outside five feet while Jonny Caldwell struggled to a 74.
Sharvin, McDowell, and Caldwell are looking for seats in The Open to the top three unexempted players to make the cut.
But Seamus Power has a great chance of snagging the leading non-tax-exempt player in the top 5 to sandwich and leveling at the John Deere Classic, there he expanded his bogey-free run to 60 holes with a three-under-68-inch Ohio.
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He was just four shots behind early leaders Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas, who shot seven under 64 to put them ahead of Ryan Moore.
Kinsale’s John Murphy has a chance to take a spot too at The Open after winning the last one for a 4 under 67 that put him second, three strokes behind American Paul Peterson in the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.
Darren Clarke opened for the US Senior Open with a four-over-74 and nine shots behind early leader Stephan Ames at the Omaha Country Club, while Leona Maguire was eight shots behind Japanese Nasa Hataoka in Ohio after a two-under-69 in the LPGA Classic marathon.
In amateur golf, Ireland’s hopes of winning the European Ladies’ Team Championship were dashed for the first time since 1983 when they lost 4.5-2.5 to Italy in the Royal County Down quarter-finals.
They won the foursome 2-0, but Italy won four of the five singles and ended a dramatic comeback in extra holes when Anna Zanusio defeated Lauren Walsh and Alessia Nobilio Sara Byrne, both on the 19th.
In the European Amateur Team Championship at PGA Catalunya, Ireland defeated Iceland in Flight B with 4: 1 and face Portugal in the semi-finals today, while Spain, France, Belgium and Denmark finished the bottom four in Flight A. Scottish Open, Live 8.0am; John Deere Classics, Live 8:00 PM; US Seniors Open, Live 23:00; European Ladies Tour Golf, Live 1.30 p.m. (all Sky Sports)
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