Open leader Scottie Scheffler starts with birdie to dampen hopes of chasing pack
But he was, unsurprisingly, unfazed and despite finding the rough off the tee he struck a brilliant approach to inside a foot and immediately was seven ahead of the Northern Irishman.
Playing partner Haotong Lee also birdied so his overall lead remained four.
A statement start from Scottie. pic.twitter.com/eQ34Bc7lss
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2025
McIlroy birdied the second to reduce the gap to the leader back to six but there were no signs of the early fireworks of the previous day when he was three under through four on his way to a 66.
The Masters champion knew he would have to realistically better that if he were to stand a chance of winning his second Claret Jug but struggled for momentum and bundling a chip out of the rough way past the pin resulted in a dropped shot at the fourth he could ill afford.
Also back at eight under was playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick, who began the day one shot better off only to bogey the par-three third.
Bryson DeChambeau was also on that number through 16 holes after a six-birdie charge, while former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama carded seven birdies and one bogey in the group behind.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
14 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Josh Taylor not willing to 'play the lottery' with his health as Scottish boxing hero lifts lid on shock retirement
The former undisputed champion of the world hung up his gloves for good last week Josh Taylor admits he could have carried on his boxing career - but it could have came at the expense of his health. The Prestonpans fighter - who reigned as super-lightweight world champion of the world between 2021 and 2022 and the only UK boxer to ever hold all four major belts in a division - announced his retirement from the sport last week after being advised to pack it in on medical grounds. Taylor says he made the decision to call it quits after learning he had suffered damage to his left eye retina in the wake of his loss to Ekou Essuman at the end of May. The 34-year-old - who was also a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, reveals that he could have carried on fighting if his own-well being did not come first. Speaking to iFL TV, the ex 135-pound champion said: "It was the right decision for my health. I would have loved to continue. "It's all healed up now as I had laser surgery on my eye. They thought they saw a wee tear in my retinal tissue and in the end they found six tears. "So I thought 'right, that's it, I've got to look after my health now'. I probably could have continued but it was a big risk to take. "I was literally one punch away from going blind in that eye. "Could I have continued? probably. But given the risks from what I got told and given what I have achieved in the sport, it's the best decision I have to make for my health. Taylor finished his career with three consecutive defeats to Essuman, rival Jack Catterall and American star Teofimo Lopez. And the Scot concedes he is still coming to terms with putting up the gloves for good. "I've had a couple of weeks to digest it now but it's all still a bit raw and emotional", he added. "It's a big of f****** heartache still but I am getting there. "I have got six belts sitting in my living room that I can sit and look at, think about and be proud of. "I am very proud of what I have achieved for Scottish boxing and to pave the way for the next generation coming through. I feel very proud that I have put it back on the map. "It's still quite raw knowing it's the end and that I haven't gone out on my own terms. "I have had problems with my eye since 2019 and had three operations on it. I'm not playing the lottery with my health anymore."
Powys County Times
43 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Arlington Million trip with Cairo has Haynes in dreamland
Alice Haynes hopes Cairo can continue riding on the coattails of his brilliant third at Royal Ascot when challenging for the Arlington Million on Saturday. The five-year-old son of American multiple Grade One winner Quality Road will be making a maiden trip Stateside for the historic mile-and-a-quarter contest, which is now held at Colonial Downs. Cairo – who was behind only then-stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas when trained by Aidan O'Brien – was best of the rest at 100-1 as Docklands narrowly defeated Rosallion in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting. Having already faced high-calibre fields this season, Cairo will add to that list by taking on 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in Virginia. 'Going into Royal Ascot, I did feel the horse was as well as we've ever had him,' Haynes told her yard sponsor, Coral. 'He was absolutely flying at home so I had high hopes he would run a big race, but even so, to finish third in a field of that quality did surprise me, in the best possible way obviously! 'I'd always thought that coming to America would suit him, and having discussed it with the owner, going into Ascot we very much had it in our minds. 'He still needed to run a big race at Ascot to make the trip viable, but of course he produced that big run. 'The team from Colonial Downs were at the track that day and chatting to them after the Queen Anne really did make up our mind to come here.' Haynes has now set her sights on rewarding her stable star, who arrived in New York last week before an eight-hour journey to Virginia, with a couple of lucrative races in the United States before returning home. 'He's an old pro now when it comes to travelling, so he's taken it all in his stride and acclimatised well,' Haynes added. 'The temperature is cooler than it was here last week apparently so while it's still warm, it's more comfortable for him now. 'He had a couple of canters on the dirt when he first got here and his latest piece of work has been on the turf, under his big-race pilot Ben Curtis. 'Ben actually contacted us when he saw we were running the horse over here and I think he will be a really good fit for the horse. 'He's obviously got plenty of experience riding European horses, but he's been in America long enough now to have the local knowledge as well, which I think could be really important in a race like this. 'We're under no illusions about the task we face though, and realistically, finishing in the first three would be a tremendous achievement. 'The plan after this weekend is to send him down to Keeneland to be based with Ed Vaughan and aim him at a richly-endowed race at Kentucky Downs. 'It is just so exciting to be involved in a big international race like this, it really is what we have worked so hard to achieve.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Arlington Million trip with Cairo has Haynes in dreamland
The five-year-old son of American multiple Grade One winner Quality Road will be making a maiden trip Stateside for the historic mile-and-a-quarter contest, which is now held at Colonial Downs. Cairo – who was behind only then-stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas when trained by Aidan O'Brien – was best of the rest at 100-1 as Docklands narrowly defeated Rosallion in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting. Having already faced high-calibre fields this season, Cairo will add to that list by taking on 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in Virginia. 'Going into Royal Ascot, I did feel the horse was as well as we've ever had him,' Haynes told her yard sponsor, Coral. 'He was absolutely flying at home so I had high hopes he would run a big race, but even so, to finish third in a field of that quality did surprise me, in the best possible way obviously! 'I'd always thought that coming to America would suit him, and having discussed it with the owner, going into Ascot we very much had it in our minds. 'He still needed to run a big race at Ascot to make the trip viable, but of course he produced that big run. 'The team from Colonial Downs were at the track that day and chatting to them after the Queen Anne really did make up our mind to come here.' Haynes has now set her sights on rewarding her stable star, who arrived in New York last week before an eight-hour journey to Virginia, with a couple of lucrative races in the United States before returning home. 'He's an old pro now when it comes to travelling, so he's taken it all in his stride and acclimatised well,' Haynes added. 'The temperature is cooler than it was here last week apparently so while it's still warm, it's more comfortable for him now. 'He had a couple of canters on the dirt when he first got here and his latest piece of work has been on the turf, under his big-race pilot Ben Curtis. 'Ben actually contacted us when he saw we were running the horse over here and I think he will be a really good fit for the horse. 'He's obviously got plenty of experience riding European horses, but he's been in America long enough now to have the local knowledge as well, which I think could be really important in a race like this. 'We're under no illusions about the task we face though, and realistically, finishing in the first three would be a tremendous achievement. 'The plan after this weekend is to send him down to Keeneland to be based with Ed Vaughan and aim him at a richly-endowed race at Kentucky Downs. 'It is just so exciting to be involved in a big international race like this, it really is what we have worked so hard to achieve.'
