Renaissance Club shows its new teeth as quintet share Genesis Scottish Open lead
Former winners Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger among pacesetters in Rolex Series event
It’s official. The Renaissance Club is posing a tougher test for its latest edition of the Genesis Scottish Open than any of the previous seven. A westerly wind for the opening round blew at a sustained 12mph on a glorious sunny day at the East Lothian venue, with the strongest gust being recorded at 16mph.
In similar conditions in the past, there had been occasions when we were on ‘59 Watch’, with Chris Gotterup carding a 62 in the second round last year en route to claiming victory in an event that is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. There was no such talk on this occasion.
The best score posted was a five-under-par 65, with Korean Tom Kim being the first player to sign for that before Rory McIlroy, Bernd Wiesberger, Patrick Cantlay and, later in the day, Rasmus Hojgaard all did likewise. The leaderboard already looks very tasty indeed.
McIlroy, of course, is a former winner, and so is Wiesberger. Kim, meanwhile, finished third on his debut while Cantlay also has a top-five finish to his name here. Min Woo Lee, another former winner, sits in a group just one shot off the lead along with five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy, the 2023 winner, started with a bogey after overshooting the green at the par-4 tenth. In contrast, he opened his back nine by rolling in a 19-foot eagle putt at the par-5 first. Subsequent birdies at the seventh and eighth, coupled with a sand save for par at the ninth, made it a good day’s work for the world No 2.
“Yeah, I thought for the most part, I played well,” said McIlroy, who arrived at the Dirleton venue at 5.30am for his gym session before heading back to his accommodation for the week close by for breakfast then returning to get down to business out on the course. “I felt like I drove the ball particularly well, and I started to see that at Shinnecock (in the US Open) a couple weeks ago.
“A continuation of putting the ball in play, and then once I do that, I feel like I can attack courses and I can set up scoring opportunities. I did that today. I played the par 5s well. I think I hit all three greens in regulation. You know, one putt dropped for eagle and two two-putt birdies. That always helps the card. Overall, good to get my first round of competitive golf on a links golf course, and it's obviously a great start to the tournament.”
Wiesberger won the event’s inaugural edition here in 2019. Playing much easier then, the Austrian shot 61 in the second circuit and posted a 22-under aggregate, which remains a record at this venue. His opening effort this time contained a burst of seven birdies in ten holes. “I don't think you can get it any better than today - beautiful skies and just a little breeze,” he observed. “I think this is probably the best we can hope for.”
After ending a short-lived spell with LIV Golf, Wiesberger landed a ninth DP World Tour title with a win in the Volvo China Open in April. He finished third in the BMW International Open in Munich last weekend to secure a spot in next week’s 154th The Open at Royal Birkdale.
“Some of the pins were tucked away, and difficult to get to,” he said of the set up here for the opening day. “But I was putting really well on the front nine. Holed the odd 45-footer or so and a wedge on No 2. I had a good spell of golf in there, and really happy with the score.”
Kim, who signed for six birdies, including four in five holes on his back nine, was asked afterwards what he particularly likes about Scotland. “The water's really good,” he declared. “I really love the water here! I really do! It's really clean!” Talking of clean, former FedEx Cup winner Cantlay signed for a bogey-free card.
Helped by an eagle at the seventh, Hojgaard was the only player who got it to six under over the course of the day. A double-bogey 6 at the 16th then undid some of his good work before a 2 at the 17th secured a share of the lead in the Dane’s first start on the DP World Tour this year.
Playing in the same group as McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre signed for a 67 to sit as the leading Scot alongside Calum Hill. “There’s enough rough out there now to be annoying after it being a bit thinner the last few years,” reported Hill after his effort late in the day. “I had a couple of lies out there where I couldn’t even think about advancing it to the green, which was a bit of a pain.”
US Open champion Wyndham Clark also sits on three under, as does 2025 FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood, with Gotterup, 2022 victor Xander Schauffele and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler in a group on two under. “I like to keep a clean card, so two bogeys hurts,” said Scheffler of spillage at the second and 11th holes.
On his return to the event after a three-year absence, LIV Golf player Jon Rahm had to settle for a three-over 73. Two birdies in the last four holes saved the Spaniard, who sits joint-137th, from suffering a more painful day.
In a fascinating sideshow in the Rolex Series event, Finland’s Oliver Lindell leads the way after day one in the battle for three spots in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale next week. Hill sits one off the pace in that battle along with former Masters champion Danny Willett, Dutchman Joost Luiten and unheralded Americans Kevin Roy and Zach Bauchou.
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