Rory McIlroy is preparing for a different test at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open as The Renaissance Club returns to its 2019 routing.
Related: Chris Gotterup ready to defend title in Scotland
The Northern Irishman struggled in his first two appearances at the East Lothian venue, finishing tied 34th in 2019 before missing the cut in 2021. However, the 21-time DP World Tour winner has since developed an impressive record at the Rolex Series event, claiming victory in 2023 before following that result with a tie for fourth and a runner-up finish.
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This week’s event will see the course return to its original layout, with holes ten to 16 becoming the first seven holes, the first to seventh becoming the tenth to 16th, and the eighth, ninth, 17th and 18th holes remaining unchanged.
Combined with heavier rough than in recent years, the changes will provide a different challenge for McIlroy, who has enjoyed strong performances at The Renaissance Club in recent years.
Now based back in the UK, the 37-year-old two-time Masters champion has spent the last few weeks reacclimatising to links conditions ahead of next week’s Open at Royal Birkdale.
Joining McIlroy in a world-class field is World Number One Scottie Scheffler, who returns to action after his play-off defeat to Viktor Hovland at the Travelers Championship.
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The American has recorded one victory and four runner-up finishes this season and will be looking to build further momentum ahead of the final men’s Major Championship of the year.
Meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre will once again spearhead the Scottish challenge in East Lothian, as he makes his eighth straight appearance in his home open this summer.
The Renaissance Club was the scene of a memorable 2024 edition of the Genesis Scottish Open, as MacIntyre became the first Scot since Colin Montgomerie in 1999 to lift the famous quaich trophy. He secured his maiden Rolex Series title with a birdie at the last in front of a jubilant home crowd, and he is now aiming to become the first Scot to seal the title twice.
The World Number 20 added another home-soil victory in 2025 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with that win coming just a week after a second Ryder Cup triumph with Team Europe for the 29-year-old.
This week’s event marks the fifth consecutive year that the Genesis Scottish Open has been co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR as part of the Strategic Alliance between both Tours.
Player quotes
Rory McIlroy: “It’s certainly a little bit of a different set-up than it usually is. This course has definitely rewarded longer hitters and hitting driver a lot and getting it down there. The rough is noticeably more penal this year. Just having to be more thoughtful about tee shots and some of your play off the tee. But everything else is pretty much the same.
“Definitely this course has grown on me as the years have went by. When I first came here, I think just because you come to Scotland and you play so many great golf courses, there are so many great golf courses in this area, I think we sometimes jump to maybe not liking a course because of how new it is or maybe some greens are a bit too slopey or whatever.
“But I must say, over the years, it has grown on me a lot, and I think it’s sort of become a really good venue for this tournament.”
Scottie Scheffler: “I think it would be really fun. I didn’t come over here just for smoke and prep. I came over here to play golf and play well. Being over here in the Home of Golf, we have good fans over here. Always get good support. I don’t think I’ve played in the final group here yet. So it would be nice to get up near the lead and experience that as well.
“You get quirky bounces in links golf. You get quirky bounces in regular golf, too. I think, yeah, mine, more of them here, but it’s a different style. You can tell, you know, like kind of why golf was invented here. If you and I were to go out and play, you hit the ball, I’m sure a little bit lower than me and probably not as far — no offence. That style of golf works really well here, and you can hit a lot of clubs off the green. It’s not the same club every time, and it gives you an option. You can get some funny bounces sometimes.
“But it’s also a pure and raw way to play golf. The conditions change pretty quickly, and that could have an effect on tournament. But when you have similar conditions over four days, it’s a pretty true test of golf. There’s always is the weird bounce: You hit off-line and hit in a pot bunker and chip out sideways.
“Other times, you barely miss that bunker and get a clean lie out of the rough and hit on the middle of green. Those breaks always happen. They happen in regular tournaments, as well. This is a style of golf wish we could play more often, but it’s not an easy style of golf to replicate. It’s unique to here and the coastal links courses, and it’s fun to play it a couple of years weeks out of the here.”
