Rory McIlroy, in his first competitive round since the U.S. Open, shot a 5-under 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open on Thursday.
On the eve of the tournament, McIlroy addressed the media regarding his disappointing final round at the U.S. Open. Despite the setback, he displayed the form that makes him a Sunday contender.
Returning as the defending champion, McIlroy played at Renaissance Club, recording five birdies, an eagle, and two bogeys. He expressed confidence in his performance, saying, “Obviously the last time I played, I played well. I didn’t get the result I wanted but I’ve still got a lot of confidence in my game. I went out there today, shot a solid score. A couple I would have liked to hole coming in and be a few shots lower but overall great start to the tournament. Yeah, I sort of picked up where I left off.”
McIlroy’s score placed him one stroke behind leaders Maximilian Kieffer and Haotong Li, both of whom shot 6 under par. He was tied with several players at 5 under, including Davis Thompson, who won the John Deere Classic last week.
The Genesis Scottish Open, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, serves as a prelude to next week’s British Open at Royal Troon. McIlroy, who won the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2014, noted the importance of reacclimating to links golf. “Just familiarising myself with links golf again,” he said. “First time I’ve played a links course since Hoylake last year, I guess. Getting back into how the wind feels. How the club feels through the turf. All that stuff. So that’s why obviously I wanted to play this week. It’s a good reintroduction to links golf. But obviously with a great opportunity to win, another opportunity as well.”
McIlroy also commented on Keegan Bradley’s recent appointment as the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, which he learned about during a dinner with European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. McIlroy remarked, “Yeah, definitely I think a surprise for everyone … it’s an interesting appointment. The youngest captain since Arnold Palmer I think was a playing captain at 34. But he knows Bethpage very well. He went to university in the area. He’s obviously very passionate about the Ryder Cup. It’s certainly a departure from what the U.S. has done over the last few years, and you know, time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.”
The Genesis Scottish Open continues, with many players eyeing the British Open as they compete at Renaissance Club.
