World number one Scottie Scheffler's remarkable cut streak ends with Scottish Open exit

The American finished the opening 36 holes at level par after a disappointing second-round two-over 72 at The Renaissance Club, leaving him short of the projected cut line, which eventually settled at two under. A bogey on his final hole, after missing a short par putt, confirmed his early departure.

It marks Scheffler's first missed cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, ending the fifth-longest consecutive cut-making streak in PGA Tour history. During that run, the four-time major champion collected 18 victories, including three major titles, and an Olympic gold medal. Tiger Woods still holds the PGA Tour record with 142 consecutive cuts made between 1998 and 2005.

Scheffler arrived in Scotland hoping to fine-tune his game ahead of next week's Open Championship, where he will defend the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale. Instead, he leaves earlier than expected after another frustrating week at a venue where he has struggled to produce his best golf.

"I got off to a poor start," Scheffler said. "Then, after that, I just didn't really hit it close enough to give myself a bunch of looks. That's how you shoot over par.

"I didn't really feel like I played that bad. This golf course can be just tough at times."

After opening with a two-under 68 on Thursday, Scheffler appeared well positioned to contend. However, his second round quickly unravelled with bogeys on two of his opening three holes before two birdies were cancelled out by another pair of dropped shots.

Reflecting on the end of his streak, Scheffler admitted he was proud of the consistency he had shown over the past four seasons.

"It's a little different now with some of the signature events not having cuts," he said. "But I don't think I finished outside of the top 20 that many times this year.

"So I'm definitely proud of the consistency and wish I had a couple of days over the weekend to make up some ground."

The setback also alters his preparations for The Open.

"It's a little different than I was planning," Scheffler said. "I'll figure out how I get down to Birkdale and go from there."

Despite another disappointing performance at The Renaissance Club, Scheffler pointed to previous experiences where a poor Scottish Open was followed by success at The Open.

"This is a golf course I feel like I can play well on, I just haven't for some reason," he said. "Last year I got really frustrated here playing some good golf and then I went and played well at The Open Championship.

"I'll reflect on it at the end of the year and assess what my plans are going into next season."

While Scheffler headed home early, the tournament lead was shared by Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim and Jordan Smith at nine under as the battle for the Scottish Open title continued.