6 months ago
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Associated Press
Jul 12, 2025, 04:21 PM ET
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland -- Masters champion Rory McIlroy took different measurement toward emerging retired of the doldrums with 2 large shots astatine the extremity of his circular Saturday that led to a 4-under 66 and gave him a stock of the pb with Chris Gotterup successful the Scottish Open.
McIlroy kept successful scope of Gotterup connected different gorgeous time of sunshine on the Firth of Forth and past came into everyone's presumption successful the mediate of the backmost 9 astatine The Renaissance Club.
Following a 15-foot birdie connected the par-3 14th, his changeable from a greenside cookware bunker deed the pin for a tap-in par to support his momentum. McIlroy was successful occupation again connected the par-5 16th; successful conscionable a horrible prevarication helium could beforehand it lone immoderate 70 yards. With the upwind astatine his backmost and wispy writer beneath the play ball, helium deed soil wedge from 173 yards to 10 feet for birdie.
Two closing pars enactment him astatine 11-under 199. That was capable to drawback Gotterup, a large jock with large powerfulness who had gone 34 holes without a bogey until the 2nd spread Saturday. He fell into a necktie with a three-putt from 60 feet for bogey connected the 14th and failed to birdie the 16th.
Gotterup, who tied the people grounds with a 61 connected Friday, had to settee for a 70. He volition beryllium successful the past radical with McIlroy, a daunting task fixed McIlroy already won astatine The Renaissance Club and is the biggest gully successful astir parts successful the world, peculiarly successful Scotland, and peculiarly with the British Open a week away.
"I deliberation I'm beauteous adjacent to being backmost to the level I was astatine going into the Masters," McIlroy said. "I deliberation I've had a small spot of a lull, which I consciousness is understandable. So I'm conscionable getting backmost to the level that I cognize that I tin play at."
Wyndham Clark had a 66 and volition articulation McIlroy and Gotterup successful the last group. Tee times are being moved up somewhat to relationship for a forecast of dense fog, which threatened to determination successful astatine assorted times Saturday but stayed offshore.
Clark was astatine 9-under 201 on with Jake Knapp, who for the longest clip was the closest challenger to Gotterup until a chaotic decorativeness of birdies connected the closing par 3s and bogeys connected the different holes for a 68.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Marco Penge besides were astatine 201, with some English players posting a 69.
Gotterup and Knapp besides are successful premier presumption to widen their enactment of links golf. The starring 3 players not yet eligible volition gain a spot astatine Royal Portrush adjacent week for the British Open.
McIlroy hasn't looked the aforesaid since the large time of his vocation that Sunday astatine Augusta National, wherever helium won a playoff to yet assertion the Masters greenish overgarment and joined the exclusive radical of 5 different players with the vocation Grand Slam.
He has not earnestly travel adjacent to winning since then. He arrived successful Scotland disconnected a two-week interruption and described his crippled astatine 80%.
McIlroy had fewer complaints astir it aft Saturday.
"Even though I scored amended yesterday (a 65), I consciousness similar I played my champion play of the week today," McIlroy said.
He has not acceptable ft connected Royal Portrush since that Friday of the 2019 Open, wherever helium did his champion to atone for an opening 79 and coiled up missing the chopped by 1 shot. His caddie, Harry Diamond, was astatine the Northern Ireland links to look astatine immoderate of the changes, chiefly a fewer holes that person been lengthened.
It's a large week for McIlroy, who has ne'er won connected location ungraded arsenic a professional. And Sunday would beryllium the cleanable clip for him to amusement his crippled is bully arsenic ever.
"When you bash thing that you've been dreaming your full beingness to do, it was a immense infinitesimal successful my life, my career," helium said of his Masters victory.
"I deliberation I conscionable needed that small spot of time. And to beryllium backmost present for past mates weeks, and consciousness similar I could really digest each of it, I consciousness similar I came to this tourney with renewed enthusiasm and excitement for the remainder of the year."
Gotterup for the longest clip looked collected connected Saturday. After a unsmooth start, including a bogey from a fairway bunker connected the 2nd hole, Gotterup drove into a bunker connected the abbreviated par-4 5th that led to bogey, and past astir had a hole-in-one connected the par-3 sixth with a changeable that lipped retired of the cup.
But that was the past of his birdies. He failed to person connected the 2 par 5s connected the backmost nine. He ran retired of par-saving putts erstwhile helium three-putted the 14th. But he's inactive determination with a accidental to adhd to his Myrtle Beach Classic rubric helium won past year.
"I'm pleased, but decidedly consciousness similar I near 1 oregon 2 retired determination that would person been important," Gotterup said. "After 61, it doesn't consciousness arsenic easy. I hung successful determination pugnacious and enactment myself successful a bully spot going into tomorrow.
"I cognize what I'm susceptible of. I've won earlier - evidently antithetic tournament. So I cognize what it takes," helium said. "It's going to instrumentality a bully circular for sure, and I'm going to spell springiness it my best."
