Ludvig Aberg, Rory McIlroy among Open contenders with strong showings at Scottish Open

He rebounded from consecutive back-nine bogeys with three birdies in a five-hole span to take the top spot on the leaderboard heading into Sunday's final round.

Meanwhile, McIlroy, playing his first tournament since last month's brutal U.S. Open loss, was laser-focused from the opening tee, beginning his round by hitting the fairway and going four-under through the first 10 holes.

He bogeyed No. 18 to finish the round at 67 but otherwise continued his strong play of late. After the U.S. Open runner-up finish, perhaps he'll finally snap out of his 10-year major drought next weekend.

McIlroy's last win came at the 2014 PGA Championship.

Collin Morikawa is the only other golfer in the top 10 at the Scottish Open and in pre-tournament odds to win The Open Championship.

He shot his second consecutive 66 and is at 13-under entering Sunday. Morikawa won the British Open in 2021 and is playing well enough to earn his second Claret Jug.

Scheffler has more than earned the right to be the favorite, but his competitors next week should make it difficult.