Rory McIlroy will finally be in action this week at the Genesis Scottish Open after two weeks of break.
He skipped the last signature event of the season, the Travelers Championship, risking his 2027 PGA Tour membership and exemptions. He might be failing to meet the 15-event minimum requirement.
But McIlroy used that break well. He went up to Royal Birkdale and got some early practice before the Open Championship. The news went public after Sir Nick Faldo, who suddenly came across him on the course, uploaded a video of them together.
However, McIlroy did not want that to happen. He wanted to keep his early preparations a secret.
“I would have liked not to have known that I was there, but Faldo couldn’t put his phone away,” he said. “But I love Nick. In fairness, he’s great and I had a good time with him. He walked a few holes with me.”
GettyRory McIlroy speaks to the media during a press conference before the Genesis Scottish Open 2026.
After getting settled in Wentworth for the summer, McIlroy has been frequenting Links golf courses. Just this past week, he was up at St. Enodoc. He was playing just for fun, but that too helped his preparations for the fourth major of the season.
“We spent four days down in Cornwall with the Donalds and the Lowrys,” he said. “You start hitting the ball off Links turf again and start to play in a little bit more wind. And, your Links instincts come back, even if it is for fun.”
Sir Nick Faldo & Rory McIlroy Share a Special Relationship
When Faldo and McIlroy met at Royal Birkdale, he offered the Masters winner some advice on how to navigate the course. His first Open appearance came at that very place.
McIlroy owes a lot to Faldo for being where he is today.
GettyRory McIlroy poses with Nick Faldo after winning the Under 17 Division of the 2006 Faldo Junior Series.
“I was part of the Faldo series that put on junior golf tournaments around the UK,” he revealed. “I was part of a thing called Team Faldo, which was like an elite team of the best juniors in the UK.
We got to travel a couple of times a year to California, to Hong Kong once as well. There were things that I was exposed to that definitely helped my progression as a golfer.”
Rory McIlroy Appreciates Jon Rahm and Other LIV Guys Playing in the Scottish Open
GettyJon Rahm will tee off at the Scottish Open.
This week, some of the LIV golfers will also be teeing off at the Genesis Scottish Open. Since this event is co-sanctioned by both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, they get a chance to tee off through the European circuit.
Rory McIlroy believes that it is better for the event.
“I’ve talked about wanting to just have all of the best players in the world play together,” he said. “I guess this is good and it’s not as if this hasn’t been open to them before.
It’s just because LIV Valderrama was always this week. So, having Jon in this event is better for the event than him not being here.”
Rory McIlroy Did Not Want This News To Go Public Before the Open Championship