Some of the top names in golf were upstaged by a player ranked No. 528 in the world at the Scottish Open on Friday, with unheralded Englishman Daniel Brooks surging into a surprise three-shot lead after the second round.
Brooks rolled in a 30-foot (9.1m) putt for birdie on the last hole for a five-under 65, which followed up a first-round 64 — the lowest 18-hole score of his eight-year professional career — at the links tune-up for next week’s The Open Championship at St Andrews.
Defending champion Justin Rose, 2008 winner Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry all shot 66 and were in a six-way share of second place on eight-under, a group that also included Ryan Palmer (65) of the US.
Photo: Reuters
Phil Mickelson birdied the 14th through 16th to recover for a 68 that lifted him to three-under overall and above the cut mark of two-under — despite what the five-time major champion called a “horrific” putting display on the Gullane greens.
However, they were all trailing Brooks, who was ranked as low as No. 570 two weeks ago after 13 straight missed cuts on the European Tour.
“Something clicked,” the 28-year-old Londoner said, when he tied for 20th at last week’s French Open to break the dismal streak and he has carried that form to the east coast of Scotland.
Brooks’ only title came after a playoff at the Madeira Islands Open in May last year, but that victory was in a tournament that was reduced to 36 holes because of fog and was overshadowed by the death of the caddie of Scottish player Alastair Forsyth earlier that day.
Rose is in contention to become the first player to retain the Scottish Open title after two 66s, although he was shaken up during his second round after striking an elderly spectator on the head with an errant drive.
The 2013 US Open champion sent his tee shot left on the par-five 16th and when he approached his ball, there was a man sitting on the ground with blood coming from a cut on his head. Rose said a young spectator fainted at the sight of the blood, but soon “came around.”
“First you hope it’s not a kid, then you hope it’s not a woman. It’s an elderly gentleman, so it’s not nice, but he took it like a trooper,” Rose said. “He was talking to me and that’s reassuring.”
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