Genesis Scottish Open: Chris Gotterup fires flawless 61 to seize two-shot lead

The American, who won the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic on the PGA TOUR, was a relative unknown on these shores ahead of his arrival in East Lothian, but he grabbed the attention of the patrons with a flawless display on Friday.

He began the second round four shots off the quartet of overnight leaders, however, the 25-year-old got his birdie blitz started with a 45-footer at the second before reaching the turn in a brilliant 29.

When he added three more birdies by the 14th hole, there were murmurs of the magical number 59 but he parred his way home to equal the course record at the Renaissance Club and set the target of 11 under.

Gotterup's closest rival proved to be Harry Hall at nine under, with English pair Matt Fitzpatrick and Marco Penge and Swede Ludvig Åberg one shot further back in a share of third.

"I'll take a nine-under any day," Gotterup said. "Relatively stress-free for the most part, which is always nice.

"Other than 16, I think I played really well today. I didn't do much wrong on 16. Just didn't make a birdie on a hole that you'd like to.

"Obviously I found a little something out there today, hopefully just keep it rolling this weekend."

Gotterup earned a bonus birdie at the second hole to kickstart off his stunning second round before dialling within four feet at the next for another.

A superb approach at the fifth saw him pick up a shot, while rolling in from 12 feet for a gain at the next and completing a hat-trick of birdies from three feet at the seventh.

The putter was hot again at the ninth after he drained a 30 foot effort to card 29 on his front nine, and he continued that momentum with a tap-in birdie at the tenth.

An eight foot birdie putt followed at the 13th and when he found the cup from 20 feet at the 14th, he was at 11 under.

He needed two birdies from his final four holes to become only the second player on the DP World Tour to sign for a 59, however, he could only par his way home for a nine-under second round and 11 under total.

Hall, who opened with a 67, moved up the leaderboard thanks to three successive birdies from the 14th.

He stalled momentarily with a bogey at the second, but bounced back in style by picking up shots at the third, fourth, fifth and sixth to sit two adrift of Gotterup.

Fitzpatrick credited his improved iron striking for his blemish-free 63 in North Berwick, while Penge mixed six birdies, a dropped shot and a double-bogey in his 67.

Åberg made a bogey-bogey start, but he bounced back with eight birdies before a closing five saw him slip back alongside Fitzpatrick and Penge.

Rory McIlroy briefly held the lead in his 65 to reach seven under alongside American duo Keith Mitchell and Jake Knapp, Austrian Sepp Straka, Canada's Nick Taylor and German Matti Schmid.