Collin Morikawa Tied for 5th at the Scottish Open, 3 Strokes Off Lead

The 27-year-old Cal grad shot a 4-under 66 and is three strokes behind leader Ludvig Aberg

Collin Morikawa / Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Morikawa put together a second consecutive strong round of golf Friday and resides in a six-way tie for fifth place at the halfway point of the $9 million Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club at North Berwick.

The event is the final tuneup for The Open Championship next week at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland. One of Morikawa’s two major victories came at The Open in 2021.

Morikawa carded a 4-under 66 and is at minus-9 through two days, three strokes behind second-round leader Ludvig Aberg of Sweden. Aberg shot 64 for the second day in a row and is at 12 under.

A 27-year-old Cal grad, Morikawa assembled six birdies against just two bogeys on Friday. The world’s sixth-ranked player, he began the day tied for eighth place after a first-round 65.

Sharing fifth place with Morikawa are American Sahith Theegala, Spain’s Alejandro Del Rey, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard, Sweden’s Alex Noren and defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

The world’s No. 2 player, McIlroy, 35, shot a second-round 66 to exactly mimic Morikawa’s first two days. Del Rey, ranked just 311th in the world, birdied his first six holes on the way to a 62. The 23-year-old Hojgaard, ranked 95th, put together a round of 63.

Cal grad Max Homa barely survived the cut, shooting an even-par 70 that included pars on every hole of the back nine. The 33-year-old, ranked 15th on the planet, is tied for 63rd place at minus-3.

Byeong Hun An, who played one season at Cal more than a decade ago, was tied with Morikawa after a 65 on Thursday. But the 32-year-old South Korean bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes and finished with a 3-over 73 that left him one stroke off the cut.

The 24-year-old Aberg, ranked No. 4 in the world, has 12 birdies and an eagle with just two bogeys through two rounds. 

He has a one-stroke lead over Antoine Rozner of France, the world’s 166th-ranked player, who shot a bogey-free 64 and is at 11 under.

South Korea’s Sangjae Im and Italy’s Matteo Manassero share third place at 10 under. Manassero, who is ranked just 169th, included eight birdies in his second-round score of 63.

First-round leader Justin Thomas followed his 62 with a 72 and fell into a tie for 24th place at minus-6.

Among those who missed the cut were Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama.