Rory McIlroy lost his way in the fog as weather caused chaos at the Genesis Scottish Open, leaving him five shots off the lead with a marathon Sunday ahead. Play was suspended twice during a splintered Saturday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, stranding leaders before the midway point of their third round.
Weather Disruptions and Suspensions
Saturday’s action was halted at around 10:20 a.m. with 17 players already on the course. The hold-up lasted nearly three hours, forcing overnight leaders Jordan Smith and Tom Kim to wait until 6:15 p.m. to start. Play resumed at 1:10 p.m., but a second suspension came at 7:55 p.m. as fog closed in again.
The third round will resume at 7:00 a.m. Sunday, followed by the final 18 holes in threeballs starting no later than 10:15 a.m. Players now face a grueling day before heading to Royal Birkdale for The Open.
McIlroy’s Horror Evening
McIlroy and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick completed eight holes with wildly contrasting fortunes. Fitzpatrick moved into a share of the lead at 11-under par alongside American Michael Thorbjornsen, who got through 13 holes. But McIlroy dropped back from overnight leader with three bogeys in the gloom. The World No. 2 missed a tiny putt on the third, chunked a tee-shot at the par-three fifth, and couldn’t escape heavy rough on the seventh. He needed a long putt to save par at the eighth before the horn blew for a second time.
Leaderboard and Contenders
Fitzpatrick and Thorbjornsen lead at 11-under par, closely followed by six players one shot behind. Jonny Keefer completed his Saturday round with a 64 squeezed between the two breaks. “It was nice to take my time and be able to eat twice before going off,” Keefer said. “I just stayed in my routine, chilled for a little bit and then got going. I think I had the mindset this week that anything can change.”
Alongside Keefer on 10-under par are countryman Kevin Roy, defending champion Chris Gotterup, US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Australia’s Min Woo Lee, and England’s Jordan Smith. Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre reached nine-under par through nine holes in 33 shots, joined by Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and South Korea’s Tom Kim.
Marathon Sunday Ahead
With 36 holes scheduled for Sunday, players face a test of endurance before The Open at Royal Birkdale. The weather has already added unpredictability, with wind switching directions three times during the week. Keefer noted, “I knew it was going to be a little colder, wind has switched directions three times. I’m just going with the flow.”
