NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Ludvig Aberg has won on the European tour and PGA Tour in the year since leaving college, and another 6-under 64 in the Scottish Open on Friday put him in a position to win a tournament sanctioned by both tours.
Aberg kept a clean card on a stunning day of sunshine along the Firth of Forth, picking up four birdies in an eight-hole stretch around the turn and making it look easy along the way.
He was at 12-under 128 and had a one-shot lead over Antoine Rozner of France, who also had a 64 in a strong bid to stick around in Scotland for another week. The leading three players earn spots in the British Open, and Rozner is well ahead of the pack.
Also in the mix was Rory McIlroy, returning from a three-week break to digest everything that went wrong late in the final round at the U.S. Open.
His golf at The Renaissance Club makes it looks as though he is ready to move forward. McIlroy had a 66 and for the second day felt like he should have had a few more birdies from chances in the 10-foot range.
“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 days. But I’m still in good position,” McIlroy said. “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 I’ve had.”
Aberg missed a few chances, too. The Swedish star was rarely out of position.
“I felt like we’ve had a very good game plan and executing the shots,” he said. “We try not to force anything. We try to have a lot of acceptance when we play and make sure that we put good swings on it, and give ourselves plenty of chances. I felt like we’ve done very well.”
Sungjae Im (67) and Matteo Manassero (63) were two shots behind at 130, while McIlroy was in the large group at 9-under 131 that included two-time major champion Collin Morikawa (66) and Sahith Theegala (65).
Canadians Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes were part of a group four shots off the pace. Hughes from Dundas, Ont., shot a second straight round of 4-under 66 on Friday while Conners, from Listowel, Ont., followed up a 65 on Thursday with a 67.
Justin Thomas hit a tee shot out of play on No. 8, his 17th hole, for a double bogey. He had a 72 and fell six shots behind. Also six back was PGA champion Xander Schauffele, who felt much better about it. He shot 65 and made his 51st consecutive cut on the PGA Tour.
“I was thinking about it,” Schauffele said of his cut streak. He was two below the cut line until making five birdies over his last 11 holes.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. (65) was also six back. Nick Taylor, also from Abbotsford, fell down the leaderboard after a round of 71. He was at 4 under heading into the weekend after opening solidly at 65.
Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., shot 68 Friday to improve to 1-under, but that was two shots back of the cut line.
Morikawa was so close to the edge of a pot bunker on the fifth hole that he felt his best chance was to invert a wedge and play it left-handed, over the pot bunker to a tight pin. He pulled it off, the shot rolling out to some 10 feet. But he missed the putt for one of two bogeys on the day.
Then again, Morikawa has had some practice. He recently ordered a left-handed 8-iron that he likes to swing for about five minutes a day, just to work some other muscles.
The group at 8 under included Adam Scott, who hit driver off the tight turf on the par-5 10th onto the green to set up one of his seven birdies in a round of 65.
Scott wasn’t sure how far he had left to the green, only that the breeze was in his face and a 3-wood might have put him in a tough spot. It was just under 300 yards, and it was flawless.
“I thought I may as well go for it,” Scott said. “Fortune favoured me on that one and flushed it. Had a nice flight. Looked good. It’s that one swing that brings you back tomorrow.”
Jordan Spieth won’t be coming back Saturday. He opened with a 71 and was trying to work his way back inside the cut line until a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth, his 15th hole, hit the lip and he took bogey on the next. He shot 68 and missed by two shots.
Also missing the cut was Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler.
McIlroy now has six straight rounds of 68 or better at The Renaissance Club as he tries to win a tournament back to back for the third time in his career. He has never successfully defended on the same course.