GULLANE, Scotland — Rory McIlroy felt he had no choice but to be pleased with a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead in the Scottish Open on Friday. He also couldn’t help but wonder how much lower his score could have been.
McIlroy missed nine putts from 10 feet or closer — eight of those birdie chances — and then holed a 5-foot par on the 18th to take a one-shot lead over Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An at The Renaissance Club.
“I thought I hit the ball really well tee to green,” McIlroy said.