Rory McIlroy returns to the Genesis Scottish Open this week as one of the leading contenders ahead of next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The event, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, features 15 of the world’s top 20 players and serves as the final tune-up before the season’s last men’s major.
Speaking before the tournament at The Renaissance Club, McIlroy discussed more than just his preparations for links golf. The four-time major champion shared his views on the PGA Tour’s planned two-tier structure beginning in 2028, explaining why he believes national opens should remain a central part of the global schedule while preserving their traditional identity.
Rory McIlroy Calls Genesis Scottish Open the Blueprint for National Opens
“Yeah, so I think since this event has been co-sanctioned, it really has went from
McIlroy praised the Genesis Scottish Open for its growth since becoming a co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. He pointed to the strength of the field, Genesis’ involvement as title sponsor and continued improvements to the venue as reasons the tournament has become one of the premier stops before The Open Championship.
“Yeah, so I think since this event has been co-sanctioned, it really has went from strength-to-strength,” McIlroy said.
“You look at the quality of the field this week, you get a great sponsor like Genesis on board. They have kept making improvements to the golf course and the facilities each and every year.”
McIlroy believes the event offers a model for other national opens around the world.
“So I think for like these strong National Opens, this, to me, is the blueprint of what it can be and what can happen.”
He also suggested that other tournaments could follow a similar approach.
“Yeah, I think this is a perfect lead-in to The Open Championship. You know, I’ve thought could the Canadian Open become co-sanctioned, as well, leading into the U.S. Open as well. That could be interesting, as well, trying to build out this series of National Opens that have a bit more meaning behind them.”
While acknowledging uncertainty about how such events fit into the PGA Tour’s upcoming Championship Series and Challenger Series format, McIlroy reiterated his admiration for the Scottish Open.
“I don’t know how that fits into the Track 1 and Track 2 and all that stuff. But I see this event and I see how well it’s done over these past few years, and I definitely I feel like it’s the blueprint for a lot of the other National Opens.”
Rory McIlroy Warns PGA Tour Against Changing National Opens
GettyRory McIlroy of Northern Ireland
Although McIlroy supports elevating national opens, he stressed that preserving their open-entry tradition is equally important.
“We’ve got to be careful with that because then these National Opens lose the fabric of what they are, right,” he said.
“You can’t call yourself a National Open anymore if it’s a closed off tournament and there’s a certain number much guys.”
McIlroy believes those tournaments deserve different treatment than regular PGA Tour signature events.
“I think these events need to be treated differently than, you know, the Travelers Championship or RBC Heritage or whatever else that are going to be in the Champions Series. These tournaments need to have — there’s a little bit more nuance with these tournaments for sure.”
Away from the policy discussion, McIlroy said he has spent the past several weeks preparing for links golf. He recently visited Royal Birkdale to familiarize himself with the course before The Open and has also been playing in the United Kingdom.
“Nice to play a little bit of links golf the last couple weeks and enjoy the run up to obviously this event and The Open,” McIlroy said.
He admitted he would have preferred to keep his scouting visit to Royal Birkdale quiet after Sir Nick Faldo shared details publicly.
“Birkdale was definitely just a scouting trip for The Open for sure. I would have liked to not have it known I was there but Faldo couldn’t put his phone away!” McIlroy said with a smile.
The Genesis Scottish Open now gives McIlroy an opportunity to fine-tune his game under competitive conditions before heading to Royal Birkdale, where he will once again chase another Open Championship title while continuing to advocate for the future direction of professional golf.
Rory McIlroy Shares Honest Take on PGA Tour’s Future Before Open Championship