After taking a break from game, McIlroy needed just 24 putts in opening-round 64

GULLANE, Scotland – Rory McIlroy hadn’t played a competitive round since he finished T7 at the Travelers Championship on June 25, and since then had taken some time off.

You’d never know it.

After limiting himself to just two practice sessions, two full rounds and one pro-am round since the Travelers, McIlroy made an eagle and six birdies to post a 6-under 64 at the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on Thursday.

“It was a reset,” McIlroy said. “I didn't touch my clubs for 10 days after the Travelers.

“… I took a little bit of time away,” he continued. “But I've got some really good feelings in my swing that I think are quite consistent, and even if I do take a bit of time away, I feel really comfortable getting back into it.”

For McIlroy, 34, there are two great reasons to tee it up this week. He wants to hit the ground running at next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, the site of his most recent major victory way back in 2014.

More immediately, though, the co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open could propel him toward two season-long goals.

Last year McIlroy became just the second player to win the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup in the same season. Could he become the first to hit that double in back-to-back seasons?

He’s again leading the Race to Dubai (which he’s won four times) after capturing the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and finishing second at the U.S. Open last month. He’s also seventh in the FedExCup (he’s the only three-time winner) with eight top-10 PGA TOUR finishes this season, including a win at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina.

What he saw at The Renaissance Club on Thursday was encouraging. He needed just 24 putts and holed a handful of long ones, including an eagle from over 35 feet and a birdie from 41.

“Probably the one thing I was not worried about going into today,” he said. “But more so like I was questioning, it didn't feel like I had maybe had enough time to adjust to links greens, and I didn't putt very well in the pro-am yesterday.

“But I got my eye in early and that was nice to see,” he added.

Although he won’t go into the second round with the lead – Ben An shot 61 – McIlroy was close enough to feel encouraged.

He’ll worry about his nine-year drought in the majors next week.

“I think playing links golf this week … just helps me get acclimatized to conditions and the grass type and everything else,” he said. “There's a lot of golf to be played before going down to Liverpool, and I want to play well the next three days.”