Genesis Scottish Open Round 2: Gotterup flexes his muscles to power clear of the chasing pack

There is a raw sense of power with Chris Gotterup and enough muscle in his frame to leave you with the belief that he could do a decent job at linebacker for his beloved Indianapolis Colts in the NFL if he ever fancied a career change.

‘I’ve probably bulked up a little too much and gotten a bit heavier than I would like,’ reflected the big-hitting American after equalling the course record at The Renaissance with a brilliant round of 61 yesterday morning.

Whilst he may not yet be a household name to the casual golf fan, Gotterup has consistently ranked in the top 10 for driving distance on the PGA Tour over the past couple of seasons.

Watching him unleash with his driver is truly a sight to behold, sort of like watching a tank launch a missile 350 yards down the middle of the fairway.

Gotterup’s power game brought The Renaissance to its knees here on day two. He started like a steam train, reeling off five birdies in his first seven holes in an outward half of 29.

Four more would follow and, by the time he reached the 15th tee, Gotterup had moved on to 11-under par for the tournament. With four holes to play, a 59 was well and truly on.

Alas, it was not to be. But a career-best round ensured he will be the man to catch as he takes a two-shot lead into the weekend here in East Lothian.

Out early yesterday morning and playing in flat-calm conditions, Gotterup made the most of it.

‘I like to think I’ve got a pretty powerful game,’ said the 25-year-old. ‘I grew up learning to basically hit the ball as hard as I could and then figure it out from there. But I feel like I have good touch in my game as well.

‘I played lacrosse when I was younger and that definitely helps with my swing speed. It’s a similar type of motion where you just try to rip it as hard as you can.

‘I have heard that Bob MacIntyre plays shinty. I don’t know a whole lot about that, but apparently you need to be pretty tough to play that sport. I guess it’s similar to lacrosse in that sense.

‘I wasn’t really thinking too much about 59. To shoot 61 is still pretty cool, I think it’s actually my lowest ever round in tournament golf.

‘It was one of those rounds that started pretty quiet, not many people around watching us. Then you make a few birdies and you start to notice more fans, more TV cameras following you.

‘I played here last year and didn’t play well. But I still wanted to come back this year. How often do you get a chance to come and play in Scotland and experience weather like this?

‘Looking at the forecast this week, there can’t be many better places in the whole world to be playing golf than right here in Scotland.

‘That was my first ever experience of links golf last year. My family is Danish and my dad plays golf, but they don’t really have any of these kind of courses over there. So this is all still pretty new to me.’

Gotterup enjoyed a breakthrough win at the Myrtle Beach Classic last year and has been knocking on the door of a few more top-10 finishes this season. Another big win may not be far away.

In hot pursuit will be Harry Hall, the flatcap-wearing Englishman who carded a tidy round of 64 yesterday and trails Gotterup by two shots.

Hall, who is based predominantly on the PGA Tour and has been in good form of late with two top-10s in his last four starts, will play in the final group alongside Gotterup.

If he can have a strong finish over the final two days, he hopes to earn a bit more recognition on what is a rare return home to the UK.

Asked about flying under the radar, Hall said: ‘I don’t know if I like it. I want to be one of the best — and that comes with being in the spotlight. When you’re not in the spotlight, you just try to stay motivated and keep going.

‘I think I’m probably more known in the US now just from being on the PGA Tour, but hopefully, I can play good golf when I come back here and people will know my name.

‘I’m playing really nicely. I think everything in my game is in a good spot and I’m looking forward to the weekend.’

With Gotterup and Hall out in front, there are plenty of big names lurking within striking distance heading into the weekend.

Rory McIlroy roared up the leaderboard yesterday after shooting a round of 65. Sitting on seven-under par, the Masters champion is only four shots back and well-placed to recapture the title he won here in 2023.

‘I am excited for the weekend,’ said McIlroy. ‘I feel like I am right in the thick of things. After finishing by making a few birdies late on Thursday, I felt like I was able to ride that momentum.’

There was late drama as defending champion Bob MacIntyre flirted with missing the cut before fighting back over his final few holes to make it on the mark at one-under.

There are also several Ryder Cup stars well in contention. A 63 from Matt Fitzpatrick moved the Englishman on to eight-under par and he is joined by Ludvig Aberg after the smooth-swinging Swede carded a 65 late in the day.

Austria’s Sepp Straka sits alongside McIlroy on seven-under, with Grant Forrest leading the Scottish contingent on five-under.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler certainly can’t be ruled out. Sitting on five-under par, he could easily go low on moving day to haul himself up the leaderboard.

It was a disastrous day for home favourite Calum Hill who followed his opening round of 65 with a 77 and he crashed out and missed the cut.

Ewen Ferguson was another Scots to miss out, by a single shot, with Richie Ramsay also sitting out the weekend after posting a two-over total.