Given his poor Scottish Open file, and lacking the reduce final yr, Straka admits he arrived with “very low expectations” regardless of high-quality latest kind.
A razor-sharp brief recreation helped him shine this time in sun-baked East Lothian.
Beginning on the par-five tenth, Straka bought the ball rolling with back-to-back birdies and was 4 beneath on the flip.
Three birdies in a row adopted from the third to present the European Ryder Cup star the outright lead earlier than earlier than he instantly wobbled with successive bogeys.
The response was magnificent, although, as he chipped in from left of the eighth inexperienced to finish a high-quality day’s work.
“The sport’s been in actually good condition coming into right here,” Straka mentioned. “The low expectations come from simply not having carried out at this course.
“My brief recreation was very nice. I chipped it very well, made some putts and I hit the ball okay. Driver was a bit of bit squirrely however brief recreation saved me right this moment.”
Scheffler opened with an eagle on the tenth and picked up an extra two strokes, however an untidy end featured bogeys on 4 and 6.
“I want I’d have performed a bit of bit higher after that [eagle],” mentioned the American. “However general, I felt like I did some good issues on the market and hung in there properly and put up a good rating.”
MacIntyre battled a “chilly putter” throughout a combined opening spherical that included 4 birdies and two bogeys, whereas Hill upstaged his compatriot to hitch Germany’s Marcel Siem on 5 beneath.
