Fog halts Scottish Open as Fitzpatrick co-leads, McIlroy fades

Heavy fog stopped the Genesis Scottish Open’s third round at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, leaving Matt Fitzpatrick and Michael Thorbjornsen tied for the lead at 11-under and Rory McIlroy in trouble after a ragged start. Play was halted again in the evening as dense fog rolled back in, forcing the round to resume Sunday morning at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

Only 17 players were on the course when the first suspension came. The conditions were haar, the cold, wet sea fog that moves in from the North Sea and settles over Scotland’s east coast, blurring both visibility and momentum.

Fitzpatrick reached the stoppage through eight holes, while Thorbjornsen had completed 13 and had birdied his final two holes to join him at 11-under. Open Championship qualifying places were available for the leading finishers not already exempt.

McIlroy, who began the round sharing the lead, gave ground quickly. A missed tap-in par, a duffed wedge off the tee on a par 3 and trouble out of a bush on the par-5 seventh turned his round sour before a 20-foot par save on the eighth left him at 3 over for the day, five shots behind the co-leaders. The 2023 Scottish Open champion had opened the tournament with a 65.

Johnny Keefer had already finished a 64 to reach 10-under 200, putting himself in the group chasing the leaders. Also at 10-under, with varying holes left to play, were defending champion Chris Gotterup, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Jordan Smith and Kevin Roy.

The tournament, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, is being played at The Renaissance Club for the eighth time. Sunday’s restart was set to send threesomes off the first tee, with enough summer daylight expected to get the event completed.