Alex Noren takes control at Castle Stuart

• Alex Noren leads Scottish Open heading into Saturday
• The Swede one clear of Danny Lee and Eddie Pepperell
• “My last nine holes, I really got it going,” he said

Alex Noren leads the way at the halfway stage of the Scottish Open after a scintillating front nine that included five birdies in seven holes.

The Swede started on the back nine and roared past Danny Lee to post eight-under-par, one ahead of the New Zealander and Englishman Eddie Pepperell.

“I managed to hit some good shots, especially on the front nine,” said Noren. “So it got better and better. Played steady on the back nine, and then you know, my last nine holes, I really got it going.

“It’s always nice when you get it going and then another birdie maybe drops, and that’s what happened today. We were really lucky yesterday. The guys that played in the afternoon, it was a lot tougher for them, but that’s the way it is sometimes.”

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In conditions which were more favourable than Thursday thanks to a handful of the tee boxes being moved forward, Lee, Noren, Jorge Campillo and Alejandro Canizares all posted six-under-par 66s to leave them well placed going into the weekend.

“It was another great round of golf,” said Lee. It wasn’t windy as yesterday. It was a lot more doable today. I didn’t make any mistakes, didn’t miss many chances and made a lot of birdies today which was good.”

Joining Campillo on six-under-par were Branden Grace, Richard Bland and Matteo Manassero, with the latter very happy with his day’s work.

“After a day like yesterday when you come out and it’s only 15mph winds, it’s easy,” said Manassero. “It was fun to play yesterday because it’s certain conditions that you almost never play. It was just fun. It was quite fun to watch. It’s just a hard day on the golf course.”

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Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, battled back to make the cut with three birdies in his final eight holes to finish on one-over-par – and is hopeful of working his way back into contention after looking at tomorrow’s weather forecast.

“The morning is supposed to be fairly calm and maybe a small chance of rain but the afternoon is supposed to pick up and get rainy, as well,” said Mickelson. “If I go out and shoot a score of six or seven-under par – which is out there when the conditions are benign – you never know what might happen to the later groups and that might be enough to get back in it Sunday.

Elsewhere, Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell are sitting at five-under-par and Richie Ramsay is the leading Scot on four-under-par. Other Scots to make it to the weekend are Marc Warren and Russell Knox – both two-under – Jack Doherty (one-over) and Jamie McLeary and David Drysdale (two-over).

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