At five under par overnight, McIlroy and MacIntyre had the opportunity to push on as the rain eased.

Only the Scot looked likely to take it.

Playing the opposite side of the course to the more celebrated names, he quietly picked up four shots in 10 holes to get to nine under par but after hitting a shot from a hospitality verandah as he scrambled a par on the long seventh, he bogeyed the final two holes as he raced to beat the fading light.

Meanwhile, McIlroy birded the opening hole but was unable to find his form on the greens before the double bogey at 12 wrecked his card. It now seems unlikely his long wait for a major victory will end here at the place where he won his last one in 2014.

Playing partner Justin Rose managed an eagle at the last to join him on five under par while fellow Englishmen Matt Wallace (67) and Aaron Rai (68) improved to seven and six under respectively.

Thirty-one of the past 34 winners of this tournament have been in the top 10 at the halfway stage.

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, is in that bracket after he shot seven birdies on his way to a 65 as he finished in near darkness to join Scheffler on nine under.

He was joined in the top 10 by 2023 runner-up Viktor Hovland who moved smoothly to eight under with a 66.

Lurking one place outside the top 10, 2023 winner Brooks Koepka matched magical iron play with inconsistent putting in his three-under 68. Five off the lead, the three-time champion remains a threat in this tournament.

Kipp Popert underlined his status as the world’s leading golfer with a disability by holding off second-ranked Brendan Lawlor to win the G4D Open at Woburn.

England’s Popert started the final round one behind defending champion Lawlor but his two-over 74 was enough to win by one stroke.

“It’s great to win,” said Popert who has cerebral palsy.

“It was nice to come out on top at the end of the week in the battle with Brendan.

“I won the US Adaptive Open last year with the USGA so I’ve now got both at the same time. I’m pretty excited to get home and put them next to each other.”

Lawlor birdied the first to move two shots clear but double bogeys on the par three second and seventh holes derailed the Irishman, while Popert birdied the eighth to move one clear.

However, Popert dropped two shots at the ninth and Lawlor bogeyed it to leave the players tied on one over par with nine to play.

Popert was three shots ahead after the 14th but Lawlor fought back to be level after 16 holes, However, the world number two made a costly bogey on the 17th and Popert parred the last to win the second staging of the championship.

“It’s a tough one to take,” said Lawlor, who has a rare condition called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome that is characterised by a short stature and short limbs.

“I went two ahead early on but I just kept hitting ropey shots. When I went three behind on the 14th, I said, ‘right, it’s time to fight now’.

“I wanted to defend, wanted to try and win it. But unfortunately I duffed my nine-iron on 17 and made bogey.”

Dutch player Daphne van Houten, who suffers from scoliosis, was crowned the women’s champion.

The championship was held in partnership between the DP World Tour and the R&A and supported by EDGA – formally the European Disabled Golf Association. It featured 80 men and women, aged 15-68, playing in nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups.

A gross prize was also awarded in each sport class, covering various categories in standing, intellectual, visual and sitting.

Men’s gross prize winners:

Intellectual 1: Cameron Pollard, Australia

Intellectual 2: Thomas Blizzard, England

Standing 1: Juan Postigo Arce, Spain

Standing 2: Kipp Popert, England

Standing 3: Brendan Lawlor, Ireland

Sitting 1: Terry Kirby, England

Sitting 2: Richard Kluwen, Netherlands

Visual 1: Paul O’Rahilly, Ireland

Visual 2: John Eakin, England

Women’s gross prize winners:

Intellectual 2: Erika Malmberg, Sweden

Standing 1: Alessandra Donati, Italy

Standing 2: Aimi Bullock, England

Standing 3: Daphne van Houten, Netherlands

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou says Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester City was his “worst experience as a manager”.

Erling Haaland scored two second-half goals to keep City’s title fate in their own hands – and end Spurs’ chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

READ MORE: Spurs loss to Man City ‘worst experience’ – Postecoglou