Author: Scott Murray

• Scottie Scheffler claims his fourth major with victory at Royal Portrush in the 153rd Open

• Official leaderboard

Rory McIlroy is out and about, soundtracked by the usual ozone-layer-bothering roars. An iron straight down the middle. An approach straight down the middle and over the flag. He’ll have a 20-foot putt coming back for birdie. Matt Fitzpatrick has some work to do, though, having dispatched his tee shot into the rough down the left, then sent a flyer over the back of the green. Meanwhile Hideki Matsuyama’s eagle putt at 12 shaves the hole, Tyrrell Hatton’s bunkered tee shot at 2 leads to bogey, and here’s how the top of the leaderboard looks right now.

-14: Scheffler
-10: Li
-9: Fitzpatrick
-8: Matsuyama (12), R Hojgaard (3), Hatton (2), English (1), Gotterup (1), McIlroy
-7: DeChambeau (13), Fleetwood (11), Hall (7), MacIntyre (3), Henley (3), Schauffele (2)

Continue reading...

• Rory McIlroy shot 66 in pursuit of Scottie Scheffler but the world number one powered on regardless

• Official leaderboard

Ludvig Åberg has also made a fast start. Birdies at 2 and 3 bring him up to -4. The 25-year-old Swede’s short major career is very much one of contrasts: runner-up at the Masters on debut, tied for 12th at his first US Open, seventh on his second visit to Augusta. But he’s missed the cut in both appearances at the PGA, again at last month’s US Open, and last year at Troon, where he shot 75-76. A tie for eighth at last week’s Scottish Open showcased his ability on a links, though, and now he’s looking good for another of those high-placed major finishes. Will he ever finish in the middle of the pack?

Rory McIlroy’s second into 1, from the middle of the fairway, is distinctly average. He’s left himself with a tricky two-putt for his par from 36 feet. Well, that’s how the average player would process it. The putt has a huge right-to-left curl, but he judges it to perfection, the ball dropping into the hole at four o’clock. The crowd – and it is a crowd, a huge following – erupts in wild celebration. There’s barely a flicker on McIlroy’s face. No histrionics, just one finger pointing in the air, as if to say: that’s birdie number one, let’s go looking for the next. The start of one of his trademark leaderboard charges? Let’s see! He’s -4.

Continue reading...

• Latest updates from the second day of the 153rd Open

• Live official leaderboard | And you can email Scott

Adam Scott should have won this Championship in 2012. But he bogeyed holes 69 through 72 at Lytham, handing the Claret Jug to Ernie Els on a silver platter. What the genial Scott would give to play that stretch again. Ah well, he’ll always have Augusta National, nine months later. What the Big Easy would give for a green jacket. Scott started this morning on +1 after a 72 yesterday, but he’s going backwards now, after a clumsy double bogey, his first of the week, at the short par-three 3rd. He over-clubs, his ball disappearing down the swale at the back … then he under-chips, his ball coming back towards his feet. A second chip doesn’t get close, and two putts later, he’s +3 and prodding the green with his putter in annoyance, not so genial right now.

Sergio Garcia missed a five-foot putt to win the Open at Carnoustie in 2007. He had his chance to win at Hoylake in 2014 too, but failed to get out of a bunker at the par-three 15th and that was that too. At 45 years of age, it’s not too late to right those wrongs, and yesterday’s opening round of 70 offered hope. But he’s started his second round horrendously, tugging his opening tee shot into the thick stuff down the left, finding a greenside bunker, failing to get onto the green, chipping short, then failing to make the eight-footer that remains for bogey. A double, and those shoulders are slumping already. We’ve seen this story too often before. Oh Sergio. He’s +1.

Continue reading...

• Latest updates from the opening day of the 153rd Open

• Live official leaderboard | And you can drop Scott a mail

This opening tee shot is messing with a few heads already. KJ Choi skies his effort 176 yards into thick rough down the left. Even if that was straight it wasn’t reaching the fairway. In the next group, the 2022 champion Cameron Smith somehow manages to be even worse, a mishit low hook fizzing into the same native area, covering just 153 yards. Marco Penge, who came so close at last week’s Scottish Open, also sails way left, though he’s gone 226 yards at least. A lot of people will be mindful of Rory McIlroy’s quadruple-bogey eight start here in 2019. To repeat: OB left, OB right. Is it any wonder?

The morning wave look to have the more favourable conditions compared to the later starters. There are dark clouds rumbling over Portrush right now, but “intermittent rain … with briefly heavier bursts” is the worst expected this morning. The breeze will pick up though, and there could be a chance of 25-35 mph gusts and possibly “thundery downpours” later this afternoon.

Continue reading...

• JJ Spaun’s magical 64-foot birdie putt holds off Robert MacIntyre at Oakmont

• Official leaderboard

Robert MacIntyre starts the day just about within striking distance of the leaders. But at +3 he’s not got much margin for error. So he could do without sending a wild Hovland-esque drive towards the bushes down the right. It stops just short, but he’s still hacking out of the thick stuff, and the errant tee shot leads inevitably to bogey. He’s now +4 and the look on his face suggests he knows any slim hope of a sensational Arnold Palmer style comeback is gone. He’s +4.

Seems clearing out the pipes last night did Rory some good. A weight lifted. He should bollock the press pack more often.

Continue reading...

• Sam Burns leads Adam Scott and JJ Spaun by one after Moving Day

• Official live leaderboard

Back-to-back birdies for Sam Stevens. The 28-year-old from Wichita picks up shots at 3 and 4 to move to +1 overall. All together now: ♫♪ I know I need a small vacation, but it don’t look like rain ♪♫ … except … “Those clouds are not looking friendly,” notes Rich Beem on Sky, snapping us out of our Campbell-Webb reverie. Indeed they do look dark and menacing in the middle distance. A fair chance we could have an enforced weather break sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t look promising.

This is Matt Wallace’s first appearance at a US Open for four years. The 35-year-old Londoner is grabbing the opportunity with both hands: decent opening rounds of 72 and 74, and he’s on the move today, with birdies at 4, 11 and now 13, the latter the reward for a glorious tee shot sent over the flag to six feet. He’s +3 overall.

Continue reading...

• Latest updates from day two’s play at Oakmont

• Official live leaderboard | Drop Scott an email

Day one wasn’t exactly carnage – the course was relatively soft and receptive after rain earlier in the week, while there was little wind – but unless storms come at the weekend, something not yet certain, it’s not going to get any easier. And despite it all, there were only ten players in a field of 156 who finished the first round under par.

-4: JJ Spaun
-3: Thriston Lawrence
-2: Kim Si-woo, Brooks Koepka, Im Sung-jae
-1: Ben Griffin, Thomas Detry, Jon Rahm, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, James Nicholas

Continue reading...

Scottie Scheffler dug deep to pull away from a chasing pack, led by Jon Rahm, that briefly hauled him in

The leader Scottie Scheffler tees it up. If he’s feeling nerves, they’re not betraying him on his face. A huge roar from the gallery for the big man from Texas. He gracefully larrups a gentle fade around the trees down the right and he’s in position A on the fairway. He’s going round with Alex Noren today. No nerves evident from the Swedish veteran, either, as he splits the fairway. A quiet start meanwhile for Bryson DeChambeau: par-par-par. The high-point so far a whip over a huge tree to get himself back into position on 3. He remains at -5.

Matt Fitzpatrick might have rendered himself realistically done and dusted. But that’s not going to stop him battling for every shot and a high finish. He’s responded to that bogey-bogey start by raking in long birdie putts on the next two holes to return to his starting point. Meanwhile Jon Rahm’s quest to “play well” begins with par; his playing partner Kim Si-woo drops a stroke, though. So this is where we are now, with the last match preparing to tee off.

Continue reading...

• Scottie Scheffler opened up a possibly decisive lead with some almost flawless golf down the closing stretch at Quail Hollow
• Official leaderboard

… so having given Scottie Scheffler the grandstand introduction, he double-crosses himself and sends his approach at 1 towards the gallery to the left of the green. He’ll have a hell of a chip from there, from thick rough over sand. A pleasing symmetry to this.

… so having given Rory McIlroy the grandstand introduction, he carves his second at 10 towards the gallery to the right of the green. He’ll have a hell of a chip from there, from thick rough over sand. Meanwhile his playing partner, the defending champion Xander Schauffele, leaves his approach short and right, and immediately hollers “Mud ball!” Ah yes, mud balls …

Continue reading...

• Updates from the second day of play at Quail Hollow
• Live leaderboard | Scheffler ire at mud balls | Mail Scott

The first significant move of the day has been made by Tyrrell Hatton. The entertainingly volatile Englishman has kept a lid on things so far this week, and you’d be in a good mood too had you birdied the last yesterday. His approach at 18 was one of the strokes of the day, and has clearly buoyed him going into round two. Consecutive birdies to start, at 10 and 11, a 15-foot birdie putt followed by another from 20 feet, and Hatton moves into a tie for second. Heading in the other direction: Cam Davis, with bogey at 3, and Aaron Rai with bogey at 1.

-7: Vegas
-5: Hatton (2*), Gerard
-4: Davis (4),Jaeger, Smalley, Fox, Donald
-3: Scott (2*), Rai (1), Campos, Thorbjornsen, Bradley, R Højgaard, MacIntyre, Fitzpatrick, Echavarria, Poston, Hisatsune, Noren

Continue reading...