Genesis Scottish Open Round 2: Kim, McIlroy and Smith Share the Lead as Scheffler's Streak Ends

Friday at The Renaissance Club delivered a three-way tie at the top and the biggest upset of the golf summer, and the upset had nothing to do with the leaderboard. Scottie Scheffler is going home for the weekend.

Up front, Rory McIlroy and Tom Kim each followed Thursday's 65 with a 66 and Jordan Smith rocketed up the board with a 63, the low round of the week so far. The three share the Genesis Scottish Open lead at 9-under 131. Matt Fitzpatrick and Min Woo Lee are one back, and 17 players are within three shots heading into a weekend with three Open Championship spots still hanging over it.

Smith Comes Out of Nowhere

Smith had not played since the RBC Canadian Open almost a month ago. It did not show. The Englishman's 63 was built on a four-birdie burst early on the back nine, and none of those putts came from outside 10 feet. That is not luck. That is iron play that looked like it never took a break.

There was a little history attached too. Per the DP World Tour, this was Smith's 52nd Rolex Series start, a record for the circuit's biggest events. A round like Friday's is a pretty good way to celebrate a milestone.

Kim Rolls the Big Ones

Kim's 66 had more flash. On the par-5 7th, Kim poured in a 40-foot eagle putt. Later, a 35-footer dropped for birdie at the 13th, and two more birdies came over the last five holes. Kim tied for third at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills last month, and the DP World Tour called him a Renaissance specialist this week. It is hard to argue.

What makes this stretch interesting is how quiet it has been. Kim spent much of the past couple of seasons searching, and the lack of attention seems to suit the current version just fine.

"I think being under the radar was kind of nice, just be able to work on my game and keep getting better," Kim said, per the AP. "I knew I was really, really close."

McIlroy Stays Patient

McIlroy did not have the fireworks of Thursday, but a 4-under 66 in the wind on firm turf is no small thing. McIlroy has even found a new wedge to deal with the firmness, a club he expects to come in handy at Royal Birkdale next week.

"It would have been nice to be a couple better," McIlroy said. "But it's obviously another good day and in good position."

Fitzpatrick's 65 put the Englishman one shot behind the leaders, and Lee is right there with him at 8 under. Defending champion Chris Gotterup and 2024 winner Robert MacIntyre lead a group of seven at 7 under. MacIntyre's highlight was a 30-foot birdie at the par-3 15th, which earned a putter raised to the home crowd. Gotterup's day ended on a sour note. A drive at the 18th found the high, wispy grass, the approach bounced and rolled close to 100 yards through the green and finished against a television tower, and the par putt after a good chip from the drop area slid by.

The Streak Is Over

Now the shocker. Scheffler shot 2-over 72 and finished at even par, two shots outside a cut that fell at 2 under. That ends a run of 78 consecutive made cuts on the PGA TOUR, the longest active streak on TOUR and 51 events longer than the next closest player, according to the TOUR. Scheffler had not missed a weekend since the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022.

"Got off to a poor start and after that, I didn't really hit it close enough to give myself a bunch of looks," Scheffler said, per the AP. "That's how you shoot over par."

Scheffler insisted the play was not that bad, and also said he was proud of the consistency. Fitting detail: Fitzpatrick, Scheffler's playing partner for two days, now owns the longest active made-cut streak at 28.

A Brutal Day for Thursday's Leaders

Scheffler was not the only big name heading for the exits. Two of Thursday's five co-leaders went backward fast. Patrick Cantlay shot 74 and missed by one at 1 under. Bernd Wiesberger was worse, a 78 that included a 43 on the back nine. Brooks Koepka, one back after the first round, shot 74 and missed too.

The list kept going: Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai and Sepp Straka all missed the weekend. On the other side of the line, Tommy Fleetwood holed an 18-footer at the 4th and a putt from just outside 20 feet at the 7th to sneak in, keeping alive a run in which Fleetwood has not missed a DP World Tour cut outside the majors and WGCs since 2018. Danny Willett posted a second straight 67 for a first-ever weekend at The Renaissance Club.

Birkdale Is in the Air

The Open subplot is getting louder. Germany's Nicolai von Dellingshausen, ranked No. 258 in the world, sits in position at the halfway point for one of the three spots reserved for the leading non-exempt finishers.

"Honestly, I was nervous," von Dellingshausen said, per the AP. "This is the best player field I've played during the year."

That is the weekend in a sentence. Three co-leaders, a pack of 17 within three, a world No. 1 out of the picture and a coastline that can turn on everybody at once. Saturday's job is simple: survive the wind and do not go backward.

Missed Thursday? Our Round 1 recap has the five-way tie. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (AP Round 2 recap, cut report and leaderboard), DP World Tour, Heavy. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.