Missed opportunity at Scottish Open for Rory McIlroy as putter misfires again

Competing for the first time since agonisingly missing out on a fifth major title in the US Open, defending champion McIlroy added a 66 to his opening 65 at the Renaissance Club.

McIlroy briefly held a two-shot lead with five holes to play at Pinehurst but bogeyed three of the last four, including a miss from two feet and six inches for par on the 16th as he finished a shot behind Bryson DeChambeau.

On Friday the world number two missed from a similar distance for birdie on the 16th and from nine feet on the next to trail Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg by three shots.

“Yeah, a misread (on 16),” McIlroy said. “I read the putt straight.

“I watched it go past the hole and didn’t look like it did much. Hit it straight but went a little left to right on me. Felt like I missed a good opportunity on the par three 14th and another one on 17.

“I’m probably standing here feeling like I should be sort of around Ludvig’s score if not a little bit better after the last couple of 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’m right in the mix of a golf tournament and that’s a nice position to be in after the last three weeks that I’ve had.”