Pressure is on Tiger-like Scheffler to turn lead into Open win – Fitzpatrick

According to nearest challenger Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler is under more pressure than those who are chasing him to take his halfway lead to his first Open Championship victory.

At the conclusion of a second-day that mixed a blizzard of birdies with bursts of apocalyptic rain, late starter Scheffler quietly put together a best-in-class 64 at Royal Portrush to top the leaderboard.

The three-time major winner battled the worst conditions on the coastline of Northern Ireland, but he only managed one shot in a successful round, which included birdies at 16 and 17 to put the American in the lead.

Scottie, the 2022 US Open champion, said, “I expect her to go out and dominate.” He is the world’s number one player, and his work is “tiger-like.”

I believe he is under a lot of pressure. I wouldn’t say I experience the same level of pressure.

Scheffler questioned the value of “zealously pursuing victories” and claimed that playing professional golf was “not a fulfilling life.”

And before his round began in the middle of the afternoon, the 29-year-old skipped any of the day’s play.

After willing in a 24-foot par putt on the 18th for a 66, Fitzpatrick, who outperformed Scheffler to win his sole major at Brookline, is the closest competitor.

Following a run of just one top-10 finish in the previous year and a drop outside the top 80 in the world rankings, the 30-year-old has been in good form since posting 78 and 72 to miss the cut in The Players Championship in March, which he described as the lowest point of his career.

Changes in coaching resulted in consistency as spring replaced summer, with his fourth-place finish at the Scottish Open last week demonstrating his renewed confidence.

Fitzpatrick’s best Open finish occurs in Portrush, which is notable given that he finished in 20th place at the 2019 Antrim course.

He is also in the running to win the Claret Jug for the first time since Sir Nick Faldo did so at Muirfield in 1992, making his 10th appearance there.

There is still a long way to go, Fitzgerald said, “but I’ve given myself an opportunity.”

Nothing is better than being in trouble, they say. You want to feel that even though it may initially feel a little uncomfortable. You’re doing something right, that’s what.

Given where I was earlier this year, it’s an exciting position for me to be in.

American Open champion Brian Harman of the United States and Chinese Li Haotong, who are tucked one behind Fitzpatrick and two ahead of Scheffler, are at two points behind them.

Other Englishmen have symbiosis of Faldo, including Fitzpatrick.

Tyrrell Hatton’s opening round, which included a 69, is five back, but after the final round, he was thinking about making pints more than shots.

The 33-year-old revealed that his pre-Open preparations included a visit to a nearby pitch and putt course, followed by three pints of the well-known local stout.

The world number 23 responded, “Be rude not to,” when asked if he would use that formula after Friday’s round. Three, in my opinion, is the magic number.

In a bid for their first major victory, Robert MacIntyre of Scotland and Hatton both competed in the US Open last month.

Is Sunday a premature day? The 28-year-old isn’t convinced that his magnificent six-birdie 66 placed him just five points behind Scheffler.

“I’m not afraid,” The world number 14 declared, “I’m not going to back away.”

“I’m going to roll the dice if I have a chance,” he said. I have a lot more faith in myself and believe that I am capable enough.

Not long after Rory McIlroy and the swollen crowds that will unavoidably follow the local favorite, Hatton and MacIntyre will be making their way round.

The second-best player in the world believes he can “make a run” over the weekend after avoiding a ignominious early exit when the tournament’s final match was in Portrush in 2019.

Before Scheffler placed seven shots between them, McIlroy said, “I’ve been a little close to my best over the first two days in small bits here and there.”