Jacobson pulls four shots clear

Sweden's Fredrick Jacobson equaled the best round of the week with an eight-birdie 65 to take a four-shot lead in the Scottish Open on Friday.

The 27-year-old, boosted by a five-birdie run from the fifth and some superb putting, moved to 11-under-par 131 on a second successive day of sunshine and showers at Loch Lomond.

That put the Monaco-based professional four clear of twice major winner Sandy Lyle, who maintained his impressive form of the last month to shoot a 68.

Overnight leader Justin Rose struggled with his putter after a promising start and could only manage a level-par 71, sharing third place with fellow Englishman Miles Tunnicliff and the Swedish duo of Carl Pettersson and Richard S. Johnson.

Tunnicliff returned a 70, Pettersson a five-under-par 66 and Johnson matched the first-day 65 fired by Rose.

Jacobson, whose five second-place finishes on the European Tour career are the most by a player yet to win, launched his round with a birdie putt from 25 feet at the 425-yard first.

He missed the green with his approach to run up a bogey-five at the fourth and then raced to the turn with his five-birdie run from the 190-yard fifth.

Although he dropped a shot at the 415-yard 12th, he recovered with further birdies at the 15th and at the last to stretch his lead to four.

"I had good memories of yesterday but I think the main reason for playing well today was that I gave myself a bit of credit for yesterday and tried to build up my confidence," said the Swede, who has missed the cut in his last four events.

"My confidence has been lacking a bit in the last couple of months.

"I've worked a bit on my swing lately because I've been hitting it too much sideways for the last couple of months.

"But my iron play and my putting has been very, very good so that has helped me make a lot of birdies."

Earlier Pettersson, who won his first European Tour title at the rain-hit Portuguese Open in April, took the clubhouse lead helped by a smoother-paced swing.

The 24-year-old, who carded an opening 70 at Loch Lomond, reeled off three birdies and an eagle-three at the third to move to six-under 136.

"Yesterday I didn't play well at all, I was blocking my drives and not clearing my hips," the United States-based Swede said.

"But I worked on the range for 30 minutes last night and tried to slow my hips down. Today I was swinging really smoothly.

"I played the par-fives well today and had some good chances coming in -- I lipped out for birdie on 18."

Pettersson, who commutes from his home in Raleigh, North Carolina to play on the European tour, said his confidence had been steadily growing since his maiden season on tour last year.

"That first year was a big learning experience and all about exemption, this year I've been able to get up near the top a few times. The more that you do it, the more confident you feel."

Although conditions at par-71 Loch Lomond were calm and relatively dry Friday morning, some of the bigger names in the field who started out early struggled.

World number three Ernie Els, who carded a first-round 68, battled to a three-over-par 74 to finish at even-par 142 and his playing partner Darren Clarke, the English Open champion, mixed five bogeys with three birdies on his way to a 73 and one-over 143.

Seven-times European number one Colin Montgomerie, winner of the Scottish Open in 1999, offset three birdies with three dropped shots to end the day at one-over 143.

This week's event is the final European Tour stop before next week's British Open at Muirfield.

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