Shane Lowry has taken a share of the lead in the Scottish Open with a second successive round of 66.

Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell enjoyed a welcome return to form on the opening day of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on Thursday.

Shane Lowry will go into today’s Scottish Open with a new look and a determination to ignore the expectation building around him ahead of next week’s Open Championship at St Andrews.

Rory McIlroy admitted he was shell-shocked after another frightful Friday saw him tumble down the leaderboard in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Colin Montgomerie was part of a seven-way tie for the lead after a sparkling start to his third – and final – round in the Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart near Inverness.

Sweden’s Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson birdied three of the closing seven holes to make it a four-way tie for the lead when the second round of the Barclays Scottish Open was finally able to continue at Castle Stuart near Inverness.

The golfing Gods looked down on Colin Montgomerie in Inverness today and decided to make it as hard as possible for him to qualify for next week’s Open.

The Scottish Open has been cut from 72 to 54 holes for the first time in its history after torrential rain prevented any play before 3pm at the earliest at Castle Stuart near Inverness today.

Graeme McDowell now refers to Rory McIlroy as “The Man” – but his own talent was there for all to see again at Castle Stuart near Inverness today.

Lee Westwood started the Barclays Scottish Open with a seven-under-par 65 at the new Castle Stuart links near Inverness today.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie was off to a spectacular start in the Barclays Scottish Open at its new venue Castle Stuart near Inverness today.

Darren Clarke turned in another brilliant performance in foul weather at Loch Lomond today and is in command of the Barclays Scottish Open at the halfway stage.

Germany's Martin Kaymer made it two wins in eight days today when he added the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond to the French Open he captured last weekend.

Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano produced what he called the best round of his life to take the third-round lead in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

Bogeys on the fifth and seventh at the Barclays Scottish Open in Loch Lomond this morning saw Dubliner Paul McGinley slip from sharing top spot to lie tied for third as he turned for home.

Paul McGinley joined Australian Richard Green on seven under at the top of the leaderboard when the Barclays Scottish Open resumed at Loch Lomond today.

Paul McGinley could well be the man to captain Europe when the Ryder Cup returns to Scotland in 2014 after a gap of 41 years.

Ireland's Paul McGinley was in joint second place following the opening day of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today, carding a 65 to put him on six under.

Lee Westwood described himself as “stupid” today for playing the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond with a chest infection.

Phil Mickelson was today back up to second in the world rankings just in time for the British Open Championship – but not quite in the manner he wanted.

France’s Gregory Havret, ranked 320th in the world, pulled off one of the golfing shocks of the season when he beat American star Phil Mickelson, the world number three, in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

Helped by one of the more outrageous birdies of his career – and there have been an awful lot of them – Phil Mickelson is on course for the perfect pre-British Open pick-me-up tomorrow.

Sergio Garcia was a mightily relieved man today when he shot a 71 at the Scottish Open after injuring his groin sprinting through the rain.

One of the more outrageous birdies of his career – and there have been an awful lot of them – propelled Phil Mickelson into the lead in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

Colin Montgomerie, hoping to ride into next week’s British Open Championship on the crest of a wave, hit troubled waters at Loch Lomond today – and fell off.

Just one month after a scary-sounding confrontation with a bull, Frenchman Gregory Havret might now have to fight off two giants of golf to win the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond this weekend.

Ireland’s Paul McGinley is tied for second place at the Scottish Open.

Phil Mickelson is not expecting his recent wrist injury to reduce his chances of winning next week’s British Open – or this week’s Scottish Open.

While Luke Donald ponders whether the Scottish Open is the right way for him to prepare for the British Open Championship, Ernie Els has no doubts.

Thomas Bjorn rates Darren Clarke as one of golf’s top strikers of the ball, but it was the Dane who shone brighter today and now has the chance to deny Clarke victory in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Most golfers only dream of scoring 67 – but to Ernie Els it was pure frustration at Loch Lomond today.

American Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman did his confidence a power of good ahead of next week's British Open with a powerful move through the field at Loch Lomond today.

Four of the world’s top 10 and eight of the top 20 were still in the Barclays Scottish Open at the halfway stage at Loch Lomond.

Ernie Els was forced to work hard to preserve his record of not missing a halfway cut in a European tour event since 1999, 76 events ago.

Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley are among an eight-strong Irish contingent at the Scottish Open, which teed off at Loch Lomond this morning.

A day after saying his back was “doing well” American star Fred Couples pulled out of the Barclays Scottish Open before the start at Loch Lomond today.

South African Tim Clark won the Barclays Scottish Open today, holding off the twin challenge of Ireland’s Darren Clarke and Dutchman Maarten Lafeber.

Darren Clarke made a spectacular start to his final round in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today and joined South African Tim Clark and Dutchman Maarten Lafeber in the lead.

A bogey on the 18th saw Ireland's Darren Clarke slip into a tie for fifth after today's third round of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Ernie Els made his move in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today - and he was not the only big gun to do so.

A shank on your second shot of the day is a pretty scary way to start a round of golf.

A shank on your second shot of the day is a pretty scary way to start a round of golf.

Colin Montgomerie lavished praise on Darren Clarke’s “phenomenal” putting today as the Ulsterman moved into the thick of things in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

American Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman turned last weekend’s poor performance into a distant memory today as he moved into contention for the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.