The wind dictated terms at The Renaissance Club on Friday. But Rory McIlroy made the most of it. He birdied four of his first nine holes before grinding through tougher conditions on the back nine. After a bogey at the 13th, McIlroy answered with a birdie at the 14th to card a 4-under 66, earning a share of the Genesis Scottish Open 36-hole lead with Tom Kim and Jordan Smith at 9-under. Speaking to the media afterward, McIlroy shared his honest verdict about the weather during round two. 

“Once we turned for home, the wind got its strongest for the day, and it was hard to hit it close,” McIlroy told the reporters on Friday. “Quite a lot of crosswinds. We couldn’t reach the par-5 12th hole. The drivable par-4 14th was obviously a good opportunity. But that really felt like the only realistic opportunity on the back nine. Felt like I did well to hang on. Maybe could have been one or two better, but overall it was a good day.”

When asked if he was feeling as comfortable on these greens as he looked to everyone and how he would describe the first and the last nine, he had a very Rory-like answer:

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“I got my eye in early and held some nice putts and continued that for the rest of the day… There [were] a couple of opportunities on the back nine, 12 and the drivable 14, and that felt like the only chances on the back nine. It was playing pretty tough. The wind got up even on the downwind holes, and it was hard to hit it really close to the hole. Overall, a really solid day.”

While he had a successful outing that makes his case for the Open Championship, he still doesn’t believe it is a course to take risks on:

“Not really. Some depending on the wind direction the course plays differently depending on the wind direction. You can more aggressive off some tees but less aggressive off others. I think we have this wind for the rest of the week so definitely played a bit different but feels like you stride to make your score in the front nine on this wind.”

While Rory McIlroy saw key scoring opportunities on the par-5 12th and par-4 14th, the same couldn’t be said for World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The weather ended the American’s title bid early after a disappointing 2-over 72 that featured two birdies and four bogeys on Friday, leaving him on the wrong side of the cut.

This ended his incredible streak of 78 consecutive cuts made across all tournaments. The last time Scheffler failed to make the cut was in August 2022 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. In last year’s tournament, Scheffler finished tied for eighth. Since then, unlike his latest showing, the 30-year-old has had a decent run.

He won one tournament and recorded 9 top-10 finishes across his 14 PGA Tour starts. But unlike Rory McIlroy’s, Scheffler’s experience at the Renaissance Club was the complete opposite. 

“I felt like I struck it better on the back nine, but I wasn’t able to,” he said after round two. “Good shot into 12, 25 feet. Good shot into 13. Get a gust there. 14, good shot. But it’s still 20, 25 feet. Same thing on 15. 16, I felt like I hit a good shot, and it just catches the upslope there… Hit two really nice shots and just didn’t hole them. Putt just didn’t go in… I felt like I was hitting a little too far from the hole and wasn’t holing any of those putts.”

It was a bad day at work for Scottie Scheffler, one that cost him his 78 consecutive cuts-made streak. Despite that, Scheffler’s No. 1 ranking is safe for now.