The First Look: Genesis Scottish Open

The PGA TOUR is co-sanctioning the Genesis Scottish Open for the third straight year, with roughly 75 TOUR pros alongside a similar number from the DP World Tour.

It’s prime time for players to start making important moves to achieve their respective goals for this season, with battles for FedExCup Playoffs and Presidents Cup spots in the headlights for many.

Rory McIlroy will return to defend at The Renaissance Club and will tee it up for the first time since the U.S. Open. No one has successfully defended their title at the Genesis Scottish Open, with McIlroy looking to end that drought – and win for the third time on TOUR this season.

An impressive field will once again test their mettle at a links layout, which will certainly pose ample questions across four competition days.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the PGA TOUR returns to Scotland.

FIELD NOTES: Rory McIlroy will return to defend his title at the Genesis Scottish Open – returning to the PGA TOUR for the first time since falling just short at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. McIlroy won last year’s Genesis Scottish Open in his debut at The Renaissance Club, and his approach shot on the 18th hole has been memorialized with a plaque from the club. There has never been a repeat winner of the Genesis Scottish Open … Will Zalatoris is set to tee it up after withdrawing from the Rocket Mortgage Classic due to a hip injury … Last year’s runner-up Robert MacIntyre returns to action in his home country in hopes of doing one better this time around – and now as a PGA TOUR winner at this year’s RBC Canadian Open … Xander Schauffele looks to continue his tremendous 2024 campaign as he heads across the pond. Schauffele has 11 top-10 finishes in 16 events this year, including a win at the PGA Championship. He has notched five straight top-15 finishes on the PGA TOUR and won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open … Reigning FedExCup champ Viktor Hovland is back in action as he looks to make a late-season run into the Playoffs. Hovland finished T25 at last year’s Genesis Scottish Open … With this event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, there are roughly 75 DP World Tour pros teeing it up this week including Rasmus Højgaard (along with brother Nicolai) and Alex Fitzpatrick (along with brother Matt) … Sunday’s breakthrough winner, Davis Thompson, looks to continue his fine run of play across the pond. Thompson has notched three straight top-10 finishes including his record-setting win at the John Deere Classic, where he set a tournament scoring record (28-under 256) at TPC Deere Run.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Tom Kim, who finished tied for sixth last season at the Genesis Scottish Open, returns to action at The Renaissance Club. Kim has two top-10s this season including a playoff loss at last month’s Travelers Championship. Kim finished third in his Genesis Scottish Open debut … Scotland’s David Law will tee it up at his home country’s open for the second straight year. Law won on the DP World Tour in 2019 after a celebrated amateur career … Boise State sophomore Cole Rueck won the 2024 Collegiate Showcase at Riviera Country Club in February to earn a start at the Genesis Scottish Open (with the Genesis Invitational now a Signature Event on the PGA TOUR schedule). Rueck, of the University of Oregon, was the 2023-24 Mountain West Individual Champion and was a 2023-24 All-Mountain West selection … Three spots were awarded to KPGA pros: Sanghyun Park, Jeong Woo Ham and Junghwan Lee … Major champions Stewart Cink and Gary Woodland round out the sponsor exemptions.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: After last week’s John Deere Classic each of the players in the TOUR TOP 10 retained their exact spots … Last season’s Genesis Scottish Open winner, McIlroy, stands No. 3 but trails leader Scottie Scheffler by 3,323 points. Schauffele (who won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open) remains at No. 2 … Byeong Hun An – who tied the 18-hole scoring record at The Renaissance Club last season – continues to be the only player inside the TOUR TOP 10 each week so far in 2024.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points

COURSE: The Renaissance Club, par 70, 7,237 yards. This will be the sixth edition of the Genesis Scottish Open hosted at the Tom Doak club, opened in 2007, located between North Berwick and Muirfield, both iconic Open Championship layouts. The Renaissance Club’s 18 holes were carved out of 300 acres of pine forest but kept several trees in strategic fairway and greenside positions. Five years after the course opened, a land swap arrangement with The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) allowed the club to build three new holes along the coastline.

72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Bernd Wiesberger (2019)

18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Bernd Wiesberger (Round 2, 2019), Byeong Hun An (Round 1, 2023)

LAST TIME: McIlroy hit what he said would go down as “one of the best shots” he’d hit in his career to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one shot after a final-hole birdie. McIlroy roasted a 2-iron into the wind to just 10 feet on No. 18 at The Renaissance Club to add one final circle on his scorecard – after making birdie on the penultimate hole of the championship, too. The birdie-birdie finish wrapped up a 2-under 68 for McIlroy to top Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre, whose 64 Sunday was the day’s low round. McIlroy made four bogeys on his first nine in the final round to go out in 2-over 37, but he found his form on the back side, making four birdies including the two in a row to close out his day. MacIntyre put in a valiant effort but fell just short (he has since become a TOUR winner at this year’s RBC Canadian Open, and he was also part of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team last fall). David Lingmerth, Scheffler and An (who tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record with a first-round 61) ended up tied for third.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 10:30–11 a.m. (Golf Channel – world feed), 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (Golf Channel).
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.–12 p.m. (Golf Channel), 12–3 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.