2026 Genesis Scottish Open: Rahm Returns, Course Changes

Key Storylines Before Tee‑Off

The Renaissance Club will stage the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open from 9‑12 July, offering a £6.7 million purse and a £1.2 million top prize. Jon Rahm makes his first PGA Tour start outside a major since switching to LIV Golf in December 2023, after the tour ended a “stand‑off” with the DP World Tour in May. Fellow LIV member Tyrrell Hatton joins five other LIV golfers in the 156‑player field, marking the first time active LIV players compete on a PGA Tour event. Rahm confirmed he has not been asked to invest in LIV yet, but left the door open for future involvement. Ticket‑holders can follow every round live on the BBC Sport website and app, with highlights airing on BBC iPlayer at 21:00 BST on Saturday and Sunday.

Top Names in the Field

World number one Scottie Scheffler and second‑ranked Rory McIlroy head the list of stars, while Matt Fitzpatrick of England seeks a fourth win this season. Defending champion Chris Gotterup, who won the John Deere Classic earlier in the week with his brother caddying, is bidding for back‑to‑back Scottish Open titles. McIlroy, fresh from a tied‑32nd at the US Open, looks to build on his 2023 victory and previous top‑five finishes. US Open champion Wyndham Clark and PGA Tour winner Aaron Rai also compete, and five‑time major winner Brooks Koepka returns to the tournament after an 11‑year hiatus. Scottish hopeful Robert MacIntyre (2024 champion) teams up with McIlroy and Gotterup in a high‑profile grouping for the first two days.

Fresh Layout at Renaissance Club

The course returns to the 2019 routing, swapping the first seven holes on both the front and back nines while keeping holes 8, 9, 17 and 18 unchanged. The new opening hole is the former par‑5 10th, and the popular stadium hole six—now called “The Thistle”—is one of two par‑threes in the closing stretch. The revision aims for a more compelling finish, and Viktor Hovland praised the changes as adding excitement and improving the endgame experience. The overall distance remains 7,282 yards with a par of 70. Players are expected to adapt quickly to the altered sequences as the tournament progresses.

Weather Outlook and Open Qualification

Forecasters anticipate Thursday to be the warmest day, reaching around 22 °C, while Saturday will be mainly cloudy with intermittent showers. Wind speeds are projected to stay below 15 mph across the four days, offering relatively benign conditions. Three spots in The Open at Royal Birkdale next week are up for grabs for players who are not already exempt, and the five Scottish entrants—Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewan Ferguson, Calum Hill and Scott Jamieson—are among the contenders. Fans are advised to bring sun‑cream, as the venue has hosted scorching weather in previous years.

First Round Tee Times

• 08:06: Xander Schauffele, Kristoffer Reitan, Adam Scott
• 08:17: Shane Lowry, JJ Spaun, Aaron Rai
• 08:28: Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Chris Gotterup
• 13:43: Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood
• 13:54: Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Reed
• 14:05: Jon Rahm, Alex Fitzpatrick, Rasmus Hojgaard