Daijiworld Media Network - North Berwick

North Berwick (Scotland), Jul 11: Indo-Canadian golfer Sudarshan Yellamaraju produced an impressive second-round performance to move into a share of sixth place at the Scottish Open, while Indo-American Sahith Theegala comfortably made the cut. In contrast, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler suffered a surprise early exit after failing to qualify for the weekend.

Testing weather conditions at The Renaissance Club reshaped the leaderboard on Friday, with strong coastal winds making scoring increasingly difficult as the day progressed.

At the halfway stage, Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim and Jordan Smith shared the lead at 9-under-par after producing composed performances on a demanding links course.

McIlroy followed his opening-round 65 with a four-under 66, capitalising on the par-five holes and continuing his strong preparations for the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Tom Kim also carded a 66 after opening with a 65, while Smith surged into contention with an outstanding seven-under 63.

Among the standout performers of the day was Yellamaraju, who built on his opening-round 68 with a brilliant five-under 65 to reach seven-under overall. His round featured three consecutive birdies early on, followed by four more birdies on the back nine despite two bogeys. A spectacular 38-foot birdie putt at the par-three 11th highlighted an excellent display of shot-making and putting.

The strong finish lifted the Indo-Canadian into a tie for sixth place, just two shots behind the leaders, leaving him firmly in contention for a maiden DP World Tour title heading into the final two rounds.

Theegala also enjoyed an improved outing after an opening even-par 70. The American of Indian origin raced through the front nine with four birdies to reach the turn in four-under 31 before tougher conditions on the inward half resulted in two bogeys and one additional birdie. His three-under 67 left him at three-under overall, tied for 38th and safely through to the weekend.

As winds intensified later in the day, scoring became increasingly difficult, with several leading contenders slipping below the projected cut line.

The biggest casualty was Scheffler, who struggled to build momentum and carded a two-over 72. His tournament total of even par fell two shots short of the cut mark, ending his run of consecutive made cuts in unexpected fashion.

Another notable player to miss the weekend was 2026 PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, who also failed to cope with the demanding afternoon conditions.