LUSS, Scotland -- Maarten Lafeber looked out his window Friday morning and could hardly believe he was at the Scottish Open. He celebrated the glorious weather by posting a career-low 63, giving him the 36-hole scoring record at Loch Lomond and a one-shot lead over Angel Cabrera.
Under surprisingly blue skies, Lafeber reached the green on two par 5s, chipped in for birdie and made the rest of them from inside 15 feet to finish his two rounds at 12-under 130.
That broke by one shot the 36-hole record held by four others in the 10 years the Scottish Open has been played at Loch Lomond. But that hardly made him the favorite on the weekend.
Nineteen players were within five shots of the lead, playing a course that has rarely been this easy.
"Every player has a chance," Cabrera said after closing with two good par saves, including a 30-footer on the 18th for a 67. "Every player can make a 62 or 64 in weather like this."
Ernie Els, playing for the first time since the U.S. Open, drove the 345-yard 14th green for the second straight day on his way to three straight birdies as he tried to get into contention. He wound up with a 66 and was six shots behind, knowing what it would taketo win.
"I've got to get to 20 under somehow," Els said. "If theweather stays like this, that's what it will take."
Phil Mickelson was among those who failed to take advantage.Despite playing in the morning calm, the former Masters championmade three bogeys during a four-hole stretch around the turn andfailed to make birdie on any of the par 5s on his way to a 72,leaving him nine shots behind.
"It was a great day to go low, but I just didn't do it,"Mickelson said. "I've got to shoot low tomorrow, but there is a 7-or 8-under-par round out there."
Along with leading the Scottish Open, Lafeber is ahead in therace to claim the lone spot at the British Open that goes to thetop finisher at Loch Lomond who is not already exempt.
Jonathan Lomas (65) also is trying to get in at St. Andrews, andhe was at 10-under 132 with Darren Clarke (65) and Alastair Forsythe (64).
In the group at 133 was Greg Owen, who was seething that heisn't already in the British Open.
Owen pulled out of a British Open qualifier in New Jersey twoweeks ago to support the European tour by playing in Ireland, andto avoid having to play 12 consecutive days.
But when Billy Mayfair turned down his exemption to the Open,the spot was filled off the world ranking. Arron Oberholser, Owenand Jeff Maggert were next in line, but because none showed up atthe U.S. qualifier, the Royal & Ancient deemed them to havewithdrawn from the Open.
The spot instead went to Bob Tway.
Owen was most angry that nothing in the entry form indicatedthat pulling out of a qualifier meant he could not get into theOpen off his world ranking in case an exempt player withdrew.
"It's just disgraceful," he said. "It's a typical R&Adecision. They said they made the decision earlier this year.Explain that to me. It's just the R&A being the R&A. They probablydiscussed this over a glass of port."
Even though he can't get in off his ranking, Owen could stillqualify as the top finisher at Loch Lomond, and he helped his causeby holing an 8-iron from 153 yards on the second hole that damagedthe cup on the fly.
"Who knows? Still two rounds to go," he said after a 66.
Oberholser and Maggert can still get the one spot availableunder the same provisions at the John Deere Classic in Illinois.Maggert left a voicemail message saying he wasn't aware that he hadbeen passed up in the ranking for withdrawing, "but it doesn'tsurprise me that the R&A would do something goofy."
http://www.preciousgolf.com/
The strangest thing of all at the Scottish Open was the weather -- blue skies, the sun glistening off the lake, fans not wanting to leave at the end of the day.
http://www.golfzonejp.com/
"When I woke up this morning, it's beautiful weather and nowind -- obviously a great day for scoring," Lafeber said. "And itturned out to be perfect."
Cabrera was asked if he had seen such conditions at Loch Lomond.
No comments:
Post a Comment