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Scottie Scheffler walked off Royal Portrush with a two-under 69 and a share of fifth place at The Open, but the round was not without controversy. The world number one received a free drop after losing his golf ball, a ruling that raised eyebrows around the course and on broadcast.
The drop was legitimate under the Rules of Golf. When a ball cannot be found but there is reasonable evidence it came to rest in an abnormal course condition — such as a plugged lie in a bunker or casual water — a player is entitled to relief without penalty, even without retrieving the ball. That appears to be the basis on which Scheffler was granted his drop, sparing him a stroke-and-distance penalty.
It did not dramatically alter his position. Scheffler finished the day at seven under par, two behind leader Cameron Young, who sits at nine under through his completed round. South Africa's Casey Jarvis is in the mix at six under through his finished round, making him the leading South African name on a leaderboard that still has several players active. Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim are tied second at eight under with rounds in progress.
The ruling will be debated, but the scoreboard is what matters now. Young leads, Scheffler is within range, and Jarvis has given himself a real chance heading into the weekend. Keep across all the action on our golf home.