Ludvig Oberg held a one-stroke lead at 12 under at the midpoint of the Scottish Open, with defending champion Rory McIlroy just three shots behind him.
Aberg shot the best 36-hole score (128) of the 24-year-old's career, shooting 64 in two consecutive rounds to set the scoring record for the event at The Renaissance Club with two rounds of 70 under par.
Antoine Rozner of France, who has yet to lose a shot this week, is second at 11 under, while Matteo Manassero of Italy and Sungjae Im of South Korea are at 10 under after rounds of 63 and 67, respectively.
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He is followed by McIlroy, who after a second-round 66 joins a large group including 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa who are three shots off the lead, while overnight leader Justin Thomas is down to six under after a disappointing two-over round of 72.
Overnight leader Justin Thomas is six shots back at six under after a two-over 72
Spain's Alejandro del Rey – who was a late addition to the squad after Sebastian Soderberg withdrew – is one of the players tied with McIlroy on nine under, having made six consecutive birdies to start his second round with a 62.
Aberg only turned professional in June last year but won the Ryder Cup qualifying final in Switzerland at the start of September and was hailed as a “generational talent” by Europe captain Luke Donald when he was given a wild card.
He teamed up with Viktor Hovland to beat world number one Scottie Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka by a record 9&7 in Rome to bring back the trophy for Europe, and two months later he won his first title on the PGA Tour.
Aberg finished runner-up to Scheffler in his first major championship at the Masters in April and also held on for the lead at last month’s US Open, but he is determined not to let success go to his head.
“I wouldn't call myself a superstar. All I try to do is play good golf,” he said after the second round.
“These last 12 months may or may not have changed my life on the golf course, but my life off the golf course hasn't changed much. I'm still the same person and my personality is still the same and that's not going to change in the future.”
Home favorite Robert MacIntyre, who was denied victory 12 months ago by McIlroy's brilliant birdie, birdie finish, added a brilliant 65 to his opening 67 and is four shots off the lead at eight under.
The left-hander birdied the “Stadium” par-three sixth hole to a standing ovation and MacIntyre admitted: “I'm trying to keep as consistent a rhythm as possible, but it's hard sometimes.
“The crowd went crazy and was cheering me all the way to the green and when I hit the putt I was relieved, but when the crowd cheered enthusiastically I got goosebumps.”
Defending champion Rory McIlroy is in contention to play at the Scottish Open for the first time since the US Open.
“I'm standing here probably feeling like I should be around Ludwig's score, if not a little bit better after the last couple of days, but I'm still in a good position,” said McIlroy, who is competing for the first time since his disappointing performance at last month's U.S. Open.
“It's another weekend where I'm playing in a golf tournament and it's a good situation for me after the last three weeks.”
Watch the third round of the Genesis Scottish Open live on Sky Sports Golf at 3pm on Saturday, ahead of the 152nd Open at Royal Troon from July 18-21. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more with NOW,
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