Open Championship 2025: ‘Tiger-like’ Scheffler takes one-shot lead into weekend
Scottie Scheffler leads The Open Championship after a stunning second round.
Scottie Scheffler was praised for a ‘Tiger-like’ performance after his stunning seven-under-par 64 gave him the lead of The Open after the second round.
In a remarkably candid press conference ahead of the 153rd Open Championship, Scheffler revealed he struggles to find meaning and fulfilment playing golf despite his remarkable successes.
But the world number one’s second round at Royal Portrush had to have been a satisfying experience for the three-time major champion.
Scheffler dropped just one shot, a bogey at the par-four 11th, as he surged into a one-shot advantage by moving to 10-under-par.
The Texan was typically excellent with his iron play and superb around the greens as he came within inches of matching the course record as his birdie putt on 18 pulled up agonizingly short.
A slightly more powerful putt would have given him a two-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick, who also shone with a five-under 66.
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But Fitzpatrick was in awe at Scheffler following a showing he believed was akin to Tiger Woods.
Fitzpatrick, who will be paired with Scheffler on Saturday, said: “He’s going to have the expectation to go out and dominate. He’s an exceptional player. He’s world number one and we’re seeing Tiger-like stuff.
“I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament. For me obviously I hope I’m going to have some more home support than him, but it’s an exciting position for me to be in given where I was earlier this year.”
Brian Harman, Open champion in 2023, is a shot further back after an excellent round of 65. He is joined on eight-under by Li Haotong of China.
US Open runner-up Robert MacIntyre and Americans Chris Gotterup and Harris English are among a group of five players at five-under.
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Bad luck for Lowry
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has the benefit of huge home support on the Northern Irish coast and will hope that helps him make an impression on moving day on Saturday.
He is three-under after carding a 69. However, compatriot Shane Lowry, the champion at Portrush in 2019, is looking like a long shot to repeat that feat.
Lowry had carded a 70 to move to two-under, yet he was assessed a two-stroke penalty after it was adjudged his ball moved on a practice stroke from the rough at the 12th.
Ten strokes behind the world’s best player, hopes of a repeat of the joyous scenes of six years ago look slim.
Bryson battles back
Bryson DeChambeau’s chances of victory probably disappeared with his opening 78 on Thursday.
However, DeChambeau displayed his battling qualities as he demonstrated vast improvement in his second round, which saw him card a 65 to finish one stroke above the two-over-par cut.
LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann was not so lucky, his bogey at the 18th proving costly as the Chilean missed the cut by a stroke.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka and 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa each finished the tournament seven-over-par after disappointing rounds of 74.
For Koepka, it marks the first time in his career that he has missed three major cuts in a single season.