Scott is not quite centre of attention

Loch lomond // A few inquisitive glances yesterday continued to surround the Australian player Adam Scott, whose pursuit of the Scottish Open represents shoots of recovery after a period of mediocrity. Scott carded a 67 on a second day that left him two strokes adrift of the leader Retief Goosen. Scott is a player who has dropped from third in the world to 44rd over the past 18 months. His return to form is notable, but his support party is perhaps more eye-catching.

Scott was watched by his girlfriend, the tennis player Ana Ivanovic, a week after he was a spectator at the Wimbledon Championships. It appears that romance is good for the mind. Scott was not the only player surrounded by tidy figures. Goosen's meandering relaxed traits were at one with the languid nature of Loch Lomond as he dispatched one eagle, seven birdies and a bogey in his 63, one more than the course record he here set in 1997.