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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Rory McIlroy is playing golf this week. That may seem mundane, but it’s not as common as it once was. The reigning Masters champion has teed it up just four times in the 12 weeks since retaining the green jacket, but his new schedule seems to be working well.
“I think one of the other benefits for me … like I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible,” he told the media after an opening-round 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open on Thursday. “Playing a lighter schedule definitely does that.”
McIlroy, who won this event at The Renaissance Club in 2023, was grouped Thursday with the two players who’ve lifted the trophy after him, Chris Gotterup and Robert MacIntyre. Teeing off early, McIlroy duffed a chip on his opening hole but bounced back with five birdies and an eagle to shoot five under par and tie the early clubhouse lead.
Says McIlroy: “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.”
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The numbers back that up. The 37-year-old has been in the top 15 on the leaderboard in his last two starts (Memorial and the U.S. Open) and showed no sign of rust at Renaissance.
When he finished his round 65, he led the field in strokes gained/off-the-tee and had saved par five of the seven times he missed a green, including a miraculously 35-yard bunker shot on his closing hole.
When asked earlier in the week about his “lighter” schedule, McIlroy had a relatively frosty back-and-forth with a reporter. Here’s the full interaction:
On Thursday, he appeared to suggest that the work he’s doing in his off weeks is allowing him to hit the ground running in recent events.
“The little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.”
His 65 is the lowest opening round McIlroy has shot in more than a year, as he looks for his second victory of 2026.
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“I think one of the other benefits for me … like I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible,” he told the media after an opening-round 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open on Thursday. “Playing a lighter schedule definitely does that.”
McIlroy, who won this event at The Renaissance Club in 2023, was grouped Thursday with the two players who’ve lifted the trophy after him, Chris Gotterup and Robert MacIntyre. Teeing off early, McIlroy duffed a chip on his opening hole but bounced back with five birdies and an eagle to shoot five under par and tie the early clubhouse lead.
Says McIlroy: “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.”
More From Golf Digest
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News Social media is combusting over Scottie Scheffler's casual wear at 'sacred' Scotland course The numbers back that up. The 37-year-old has been in the top 15 on the leaderboard in his last two starts (Memorial and the U.S. Open) and showed no sign of rust at Renaissance.
When he finished his round 65, he led the field in strokes gained/off-the-tee and had saved par five of the seven times he missed a green, including a miraculously 35-yard bunker shot on his closing hole.
When asked earlier in the week about his “lighter” schedule, McIlroy had a relatively frosty back-and-forth with a reporter. Here’s the full interaction:
On Thursday, he appeared to suggest that the work he’s doing in his off weeks is allowing him to hit the ground running in recent events.
“The little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.”
His 65 is the lowest opening round McIlroy has shot in more than a year, as he looks for his second victory of 2026.
Continue reading...
