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Winners and Losers From Scottish Open Round 2: Scheffler, Koepka Make Surprising Exits

Andy Nesbitt|
Scottie Scheffler missed his first cut since 2022.
Scottie Scheffler missed his first cut since 2022. | Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images

The second round of the Scottish Open on Friday saw some low scores, and some big names heading for the exit after missing the cut.

The biggest surprise of the day came when Scottie Scheffler stumbled down the stretch and ended up missing the cut for the first time since 2022, a streak that reached 78 events. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay also struggled on Friday and will not be around for the weekend after they had both put together really good opening rounds.

Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim and Jordan Smith are tied for the lead at nine-under.

Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the second round.

Winner: Jon Rahm bounces back, makes the cut in dramatic fashion

Jon Rahm had a lot of work to do to make the cut after shooting a three-over 73 in the first round and, well, he got it done on Friday. Rahm fired a five-under 65 and his birdie on the final hole got him into the weekend on the number at two-under.

He nearly made an ace on his closing hole; his tee shot on the par-3 ninth stopped just 13 inches short of the hole:

Loser: Scottie Scheffler crashes out, has his weekend open up

Scheffler was within striking distance after shooting a two-under 68 in the first round but then he struggled throughout the second round and stunningly missed the cut. His final hole summed up his day as he left his tee shot on the par-3 ninth short of the green, then missed his chip shot that could have gotten him into the weekend and then missed his par putt to finish at even for the tournament.

Scheffler had this to say after his round about missing the cut and how that changes his preparation for next week’s British Open:

“Yeah, it's a little different now with some of the Signature Events not having cuts. But you know, this is—I don't think I finished outside of the top 20 or something like that many times this year.

“I'm definitely proud of the consistency, and wish I had a couple days over the weekend to make up some ground. But overall, get down to Birkdale a little earlier than expected and get used to a new course.”

Winner: Jordan Smith is one of the surprises at the top

The 33-year-old Englishman who plays on the PGA Tour fired a seven-under 63, thanks to eight birdies and a bogey, to grab a share of the lead at nine-under.

Smith’s best finish on the PGA Tour this year was a solo third at the Valspar in March, which is also his only top-10 finish this season.

Loser: Brooks Koepka falls apart, misses the cut

Koepka was a shot back of the leaders to start the day after his four-under 66 on Thursday but then, like Scheffler, he couldn’t get anything going on Friday and will have the weekend off after shooting a four-over 74. His most costly hole came on the back nine when he made a double bogey on the par-4 14th. Koepka will now get a few extra days to get ready for next week’s British Open.

Winner: Robert MacIntyre gets into contention in his home country

The 29-year-old Scotsman won this event in 2024 and is back near the top after shooting a four-under 66 which put him two back of the leaders. MacIntyre birdied four of his last six holes to charge up the leaderboard.

His long birdie on the par-3 15th had the home crowd fired up:

Loser: Patrick Cantlay also falls apart

Cantlay was tied for the lead after the first round thanks to his five-under 65 but then on Friday he went the opposite way, shooting a four-over 74 to miss the cut.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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