Rory McIlroy and Bob MacIntyre make strong Genesis Scottish Open calls
Former winners want Rolex Series event to remain as it is as PGA Tour prepares for schedule shake up
Former winners Rory McIlroy and Bob MacIntyre have both called for the Genesis Scottish Open to remain untouched as PGA Tour chiefs draw up a new-look schedule for 2028.
The $9 million Rolex Series event has been co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour since 2022 and now attracts the fifth-strongest field in golf after the majors. Contracts are in place with both title sponsor Genesis and The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, where it is being held for the eighth year in a row this week, through to 2030.
It remains to be seen, though, how the tournament is going to fit in when a new two-tier PGA Tour schedule - the Championship Series and the Challenger Series - is introduced the season after next under the leadership of new commissioner Brian Rolapp.
With promotion and relegation on the line, the Championship Series will feature approximately 23-24 events, all of which will boast prize funds of at least $20 million and have fields of around 120 players with no alternate list and no sponsor exemptions.
The current field for the Genesis Scottish Open is 156 players, with 75 spots being filled by DP World Tour players and 75 going to PGA Tour card holders, with three sponsor exemptions and three other spots going to Korean players.
Speaking on the eve of this year’s Genesis Scottish Open, McIlroy and MacIntyre both offered their views on how they’d like to see the future of the event and ‘hands off’ was effectively the message from the Ryder Cup team-mates.
“We've got to be careful with that,” replied McIlroy, the 2023 winner, to being asked if it was important that an event like this doesn’t become a tournament specifically for Championship Series players, “because then these national Opens lose the fabric of what they are, right. You can't call yourself a national Open anymore if it's a closed off tournament and there's a certain number of guys.
“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 Championship Series. There's a little bit more nuance with these tournaments for sure.”
Sitting in the same chair shortly afterwards, MacIntyre, the 2024 winner, also spoke out in favour of a status quo and voiced his concern as well about a $20m tournament being held in Scotland.
“I think they have got to make exemptions at times,” said the Oban man of the schedule shake up. “I think the Scottish Open has got to be before The Open. I think it will be. I think there will be exceptions.
“So I personally think The Scottish Open is going to be totally fine, if I'm being honest with you. I don't see it being a $20 million event. I see it being like a high-end DP World Tour Rolex Series event. I think it would be a bit mad to put a $20m event in Scotland when the world we live in today, I mean, it's not the same as America. It's more realistic on the money side of it.”
With 15-time major winner Tiger Woods involved in the process in an official capacity, the new PGA Tour schedule is set to include an International Swing after the FedEx Cup finishes. According to McIlroy, the Genesis Scottish Open should be the template for such events.
“Yeah, so I think since this event has been co-sanctioned, it really has went from strength-to-strength,” observed the world No 2. “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. For these strong national Opens, this, to me, is the blueprint of what it can be and what can happen.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.