Rory McIlroy opened the 2026 Scottish Open with a 5-under-par 65 to share the first-round lead at the Renaissance Club on July 9 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. He was tied with Patrick Cantlay of the US, Bernd Wiesberger from Austria, South Koreans Kim Joo-hyung and Tom Kim, and Danish player Rasmus Højgaard [1, 2, 4, 5]. McIlroy credited playing a lighter tournament schedule since winning the Masters in April for feeling fresher and more balanced. "The benefits are seeing my family more, feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life. And then the challenge is, I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good," he said [1]. He added, "One of the other benefits for me, I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible. Playing a lighter schedule definitely does that" [2].
McIlroy played the par-5 holes well, including an 18-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first hole, which was the 10th hole of his round [1, 5]. Brooks Koepka was one stroke behind the leaders after the first round with a 4-under 66 [1, 5].
On day two, July 10, McIlroy remained tied for the lead at 9-under-par after shooting birdies early in the round. He shared the lead with Tom Kim and Jordan Smith, who shot a 7-under 63 in the second round to join the final pairing for the weekend [6]. Meanwhile, world number one and reigning Open champion Scottie Scheffler struggled with a 68 in round one and a 2-over 72 in the second round, missing the cut. Scheffler admitted two bogeys hurt his card despite some good shots [2, 5, 6].
McIlroy said he enjoys competing in Scotland and values the link-style courses and enthusiastic crowds. "For the most part, I played well. At this stage of my career, I really enjoy coming back here. It reminds me of why I started to play the game in the first place; links golf courses and the crowds are incredible. The crowds next week at The Open will be amazing as well," he said [4].
McIlroy plans to use the Scottish Open as preparation for the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale starting next week [2, 4, 6]. The weekend pairing featuring McIlroy, Tom Kim, and Jordan Smith will compete to set the pace going into the final rounds.
