The third round was halted twice due to fog as Fitzpatrick climbed into the lead and McIlroy fell
After pristine weather was enjoyed over the first two days of the 2026 Scottish Open, the field was greeted by cool temperatures and thick fog on Saturday for the third round at The Renaissance Club. However, only a handful of early groups teed off in the morning before play was suspended for 2 hours and 23 minutes due to fog, pushing tee times well back into the evening.
The final pairings teed off after 6 p.m. local time and only made it to 7:55 p.m. before the horn blew for the second time, ending play ftween those fog delays, there was a flurry of activity on the leaderboard, as Moving Day lived up to its name even though the leaders did not finish the front nine.
The marquee pairing of the afternoon was Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, who went in opposite directions as the two European Ryder Cup stars handled the long delay and challenging conditions quite differently.
McIlroy began the day as the strong favorite after grabbing a share of the lead at 9 under through 36 holes, but he made three bogeys in his first eight holes to fall back to 6 under for the tournament, which is currently tied for 25th. His ball-striking on Saturday was not at his normal level as McIlroy most notably came up 20 yards short with a gap wedge on the short par-3 5th to lead to his second bogey of the day.
McIlroy’s slow start dropped him five shots off the lead, which is shared by Fitzpatrick and Michael Thorbjornsen. While the two-time Masters champion struggled, Fitzpatrick got off to a flying start with four birdies in his first seven holes to reach 12 under and grab the solo lead.
Fitzpatrick did give one back on the 8th just before the horn sounded to halt play due to the thickening fog, but he has put himself in prime position to snatch his fourth victory of the season and move ever-closer to the PGA Tour Player of the Year crown.
Those two will return alongside the rest of the Saturday afternoon wave for an early Sunday morning restart to the third round. They will then turn around and go back out for the final round on what figures to be another extremely long day of golf with an incredibly bunched leaderboard.
With The Open Championship looming next week, everyone will be motivated to complete the final round on Sunday to avoid a Monday finish that would delay players’ preparations at Royal Birkdale, but the weather will dictate how much golf can be played on Sunday.
Leaders
1. Matt Fitzpatrick [thru 8], Michael Thorbjornsen [thru 13] (-11): Fitzpatrick had his game in full flow early in the round, showing off his links prowess with some clever play in challenging visual conditions. While many players struggled with the pace on the greens, which slowed up even more as moisture rolled in along with the fog, Fitzpatrick was nails on the greens to make four early birdies. Thorbjornsen likewise adjusted well to the changing conditions, making five birdies in his first 13 holes to get into contention once again. Thorbjornsen has knocked on the door a few times in his young career but is still searching for that first PGA Tour victory and will hope to follow Chris Gotterup’s breakthrough victory last year with one of his own in Scotland.
Contenders
T3. Chris Gotterup [thru 10], Wyndham Clark [thru 15], Min Woo Lee [thru 8], Johnny Keefer [F], Kevin Roy [thru 16], Jordan Smith [thru 7] (-10)
T9. Robert MacIntyre [thru 9], Tom Kim [thru 7], Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen [F] (-9)
T16. Tommy Fleetwood [F], Si Woo Kim [F], Tyrrell Hatton [F], Patrick Reed [thru 16] and five others (-7)
Speaking of Gotterup, he’s right back in the thick of the action at the Scottish Open after a solid front nine before the fog delay. He appears comfortable in any conditions at The Renaissance Club and continues to prove that, despite being from New Jersey, he’s right at home playing in the home of golf. U.S. Open champion Clark is likewise showing no signs of slowing down as he has put himself in contention once again. He’ll have just 21 holes to play on Sunday and will hope a lighter workload can be to his benefit. Lee, another past champion from 2021, is once again thriving on the links but will have 28 holes of golf ahead of him on Sunday.
Hometown favorite and 2024 champ MacIntyre is hanging around at 9 under, two shots off the lead, but if he can get any putts to drop on Sunday, he’ll send roars cascading across North Berwick. Tom Kim isn’t a past winner but has a pair of top-6 finishes in four starts at the Scottish Open, and while he’s still looking for his first birdie of the third round, he should figure into the conversation all day on Sunday.
Lurking four shots back are a few intriguing names, including Englishmen Fleetwood and Hatton. They, alongside Si Woo Kim, completed their third rounds after going out early and will hope for continued tough conditions for the leaders early Sunday morning to keep them in the mix. Patrick Reed is also part of that group at 7 under with two holes left in his third round to try and claw a bit closer to the lead.
Updated 2026 Scottish Open odds, picks
Odds via FanDuel
- Matt Fitzpatrick (13/5)
- Chris Gotterup (24/5)
- Min Woo Lee (7-1)
- Michael Thorbjornsen (15/2)
- Wyndham Clark (12-1)
- Robert MacIntyre (12-1)
- Jordan Smith (13-1)
- Tom Kim (16-1)
- Rory McIlroy (25-1)
Weather is going to dictate a lot on Sunday, but if the forecast holds and the sun peeks out early in the morning as expected, the players with the most holes left should have an advantage on a course that’s been gettable all week. That shows in the odds, as those who have finished their third rounds are much lower than those with more holes to play. Gotterup edging out Fitzpatrick on Sunday is my official pick, but Clark at 12-1 is an intriguing value given his form coming in.
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