North Berwick (Scotland), July 11 (IANS) Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju rose to tied sixth, while Sahith Theegala improved to T-38 even as big names including Scottie Scheffler exited the Scottish Open at the halfway stage.

A dramatic second round shook up the leaderboard at The Renaissance Club. As winds picked up and the tricky coastal links began to show their teeth, a stellar three-way tie emerged at the top of the leaderboard. Defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy, South Korea’s rising star Tom Kim, and England’s Jordan Smith all climbed to a 9-under-par total to anchor the final weekend groups.

However, many fell victims to conditions as an unexpected, low cut line of 2-under-par claimed several of golf’s biggest heavyweights. The most staggering casualty of the day was world number one Scottie Scheffler, alongside 2026 PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, both of whom were sent out early after failing to navigate the worsening afternoon conditions.

Rory McIlroy continued his perfect preparation for the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with another super performance. Backing up his opening-round 65, the Northern Irishman took full advantage of the par 5s to sign for a 4-under-par 66. McIlroy looked completely poised on the greens, demonstrating the exact type of links control required to orchestrate a weekend repeat of his prior triumphs at North Berwick.

Matching him was Tom Kim. The South Korean star paired his first-round 65 with a highly disciplined 66, showcasing remarkable iron play to keep himself firmly in the hunt. Joining the duo at the summit was Jordan Smith, who executed a blistering 7-under-par 63, a masterful display of ball-striking.

While the marquee leaders established the benchmark heading into the weekend, Indo-Canadian prospect Sudarshan Yellamaraju stole the headlines with a breakout performance. After securing a steady 2-under 68 on the first day, Yellamaraju, a rising talent, combined superb ball-striking with brilliant green work, highlighted by a fine 38-foot birdie putt on the par-3 11th.

Yellamaraju endured a roller-coaster scorecard, birdying three in a row from the fourth hole before a bogey on the eighth saw him turn at 2-under. He caught fire again on the back nine, adding four birdies against one more bogey to finish with a stellar 5-under-par 65. The brilliant round hoisted him into a tie for sixth place at 7-under-par total. Sitting just two strokes off the multi-way lead, Yellamaraju heads into the weekend squarely in the fight for his first career DP World Tour breakthrough.

Leading the pack of Indian-origin stars alongside Yellamaraju was Indo-American Sahith Theegala. Supported heavily by Hero, Theegala staged a recovery from his first round performance after a tough, even-par 70 on opening day. He found his rhythm on the second afternoon, firing four birdies on the front nine to turn in a sharp 4-under 31. Despite dropping two bogeys against a single birdie on a gruelling back nine, Theegala safely navigated his way across the cut line. His 3-under 67 brought him to a 3-under total, leaving him tied for 38th and well-positioned to make a Saturday charge.

Late in the afternoon, the Renaissance Club layout grew increasingly fierce. High winds and unpredictable gusts forced players into defensive target golf, causing late-day collapses across the field.

The most shocking exit belonged to Scheffler. The dominant world number one uncharacteristically struggled to find his speed on the greens, dropping costly shots down the final stretch. Scheffler signed for a disappointing 2-over-par 72, finishing the tournament at even par. Missing the weekend cut line by just two strokes, the premature departure brought a remarkable, long-standing streak of consecutive cuts to an abrupt end.

–IANS

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