Scottie Scheffler kept himself in the hunt at The Open on Friday, but the score could have looked a lot different. He shot a bogey-free 68 in the second round at Royal Birkdale, yet missed seven birdie putts from 15 feet or less, leaving plenty of strokes on the course.
That is why his round drew so much attention. Scheffler also opened with a 68, so he reached the weekend on four under through 36 holes and sat four shots behind leader Lucas Herbert. On a day when he was strong from tee to green, the issue was not finding chances. It was finishing them.
Scheffler made two of the putts that did drop, rolling in one from 3 feet at the fifth and another from 6 feet at the par-5 14th. But four of his seven misses came from inside 10 feet, the kind of chances that usually turn a solid major round into a dangerous one. Instead, they kept a round that was otherwise clean from becoming something better.
Marcus Plunkett had a different story, but one that still fit the weight of the day. He made the cut with a 71 and a cut line of 1-over 141, a small result on the board that carried personal meaning after he left the Army as a captain to pursue golf. “When I got out of the Army and kind of embarked on this journey, this was the goal for sure,” he said. “I got out and just wanted to see how far I could take this.”
That contrast mattered because The Open was already heading into its weekend stretch with a familiar question hanging over the top of the board: who can keep the trophy from the player in front, and who can keep making putts when the pressure rises? The last player to retain The Open title was Padraig Harrington in 2008, a reminder of how hard it is to hold onto control here once the field starts closing in.
Scheffler’s answer is simple enough. His ball-striking is giving him every chance, and his scoring still has room to improve if the putter cooperates. If he keeps hitting it the way he has over two rounds, the missing piece for the rest of the weekend is not position. It is conversion.
