England’s Daniel Brooks in action in the second round of the Scottish Open yesterday.

 

Agencies/Gullane, Scotland


A week after making the cut for the first time in five months, England’s Daniel Brooks surged into a commanding halfway lead at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The 28 year old won the Madeira Islands Open last season, but followed that breakthrough with 14 consecutive missed cuts before picking up another cheque.
After playing the weekend in Dubai at the end of January, Brooks missed 13 cuts in a row this term, but finished tied for 20th in France last week to stop the rot.
An opening 64 at Gullane suggested that was more than a temporary return to form, and a second round 65 put Brooks 11 under par and three shots clear.
“I played really solid and I’ve not missed many shots at all,” said Brooks, who after an eagle on the long second had one bogey and four birdies, including an effort from 25 feet on the last.
“The last three weeks now; Germany, I started playing nicely, just missed the cut there but played some nice golf. France, I had a load of silly mistakes, bogeys. Cutting them out this week and it’s worked out nicely so far.
“It’s hard to miss that many cuts. It does get you down. It only takes one good week out here and hopefully that’s what I’ll have.
“I’ve been there, done it, hopefully can have a good weekend and see what happens.”
He leads a group of seven players including Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell, who were three shots behind on eight-under par.
Earlier, Rose put himself into prime position for a successful defence of his Scottish Open crown after a second straight round of 66.
The 34-year-old Englishman went out in 31 before parring his way down the relatively tougher back nine on the par-70 course which is a composite of the number one and two courses on the East Lothian links.
No player has ever won back-to-back Scottish Open titles and, were Rose to achieve that feat on Sunday, it would underline his position among the favourites at St Andrews in the absence of injured world number one Rory McIlroy.
Despite the low scores, Rose assessed his game as only “running at 50 per cent”, adding: “There are still a couple of loose shots that I am getting away with on this course that I wouldn’t on other courses.
“But I feel like I have managed my game well, played the hard holes well and kept it clean.” The 2013 US Open winner had a scary moment at the 16th when his tee shot struck an elderly spectator on the head, which led to a teenage fan fainting at at the sight of the resulting blood.
“I was pretty concerned walking up there and seeing there was someone on the ground, but he took it like a trooper and was talking to me so that was slightly reassuring. He told me had been coming to tournaments for years and years and had never got hit before.”
Rose’s playing partner, Phil Mickelson, who won the 2013 Open just down the road at Muirfield, could only manage one birdie on the front nine and bogeys at 10 and 11 saw him flirting with the projected cut after 77 players broke par on Thursday.
But a run of three straight birdies from the 14th proved to be a timely tonic and he came in with a 68 to stand at three under for the tournament.
Low-scoring was again the order of the day with calm conditions prevailing and the greens remaining soft and receptive.
Sweden’s Johan Carlsson was the first to get to eight under after setting out in the first group of the day. He had four birdies and one bogey en route to his 67.
“It was good. It was solid. It was a bit less wind today,” he said. “Eight under after two rounds on this course, I’m happy with that.”
First round leader Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, who had a 63 on Thursday, struggled on the front nine. He opened with four straight pars, but a bogey at the fifth and a double bogey at the par-three seventh pegged him back.