McIlroy Quickly On Target For An Historic Season First

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2026 GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN 

 

First-Round Notes – Thursday, July 9, 2026

Weather: Sunny. High of 75. Wind W 8-12 mph, gusts up to 17 mph.

 

 First-Round Leaderboard

Pos. Player R1
T1 Tom Kim 65 (-5)
T1 Bernd Wiesberger 65 (-5)
T1 Patrick Cantlay 65 (-5)
T1 Rory McIlroy 65 (-5)
T1 Rasmus Højgaard 65 (-5)
T6 Seven players 66 (-4)

Five players tied for the 18-hole lead

  • Marks the second consecutive year with four or more leaders after the first round of the Genesis Scottish Open (2025: Nico Echavarria, Jake Knapp, Sepp Straka, Victor Perez)

  • Marks the most 18-hole co-leaders on TOUR this season since the PGA Championship (7)

Number of times holding the first-round lead/co-lead

  • Tom Kim – fourth time, second this season Charles Schwab Challenge; 0-for-3 to date
  • Bernd Wiesberger – holds lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR for the first time after any round; previous best 18-hole position on TOUR was T11 at 2020 RSM Classic
  • Patrick Cantlay – ninth time, first since 2024 U.S. Open; 2-for-8 to date
  • Rory McIlroy – 26th time, third this season (The Genesis Invitational, Master Tournament); 4-for-25 to date
  • Rasmus Højgaard – holds lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR for the first time after any round; previous best 18-hole position on TOUR was second, most recently at 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Wins and starts by the first-round leaders

  • Tom Kim – three wins in 110 starts (most recent: 2023 Shriners Children’s Open)
  • Bernd Wiesberger – zero wins in 72 starts; nine-time DP World Tour winner (most recent: 2026 Volvo China Open
  • Patrick Cantlay – eight wins in 215 starts (most recent: 2022 BMW Championship)
  • Rory McIlroy – 30 wins in 282 starts (most recent: 2026 Masters Tournament)
  • Rasmus Højgaard – zero wins in 55 starts; five-time DP World Tour winner (most recent: 2024 Amgen Irish Open)

Rory McIIroy

  • Has played all 13 rounds of his career at this event in the 60s, the highest percentage of any player at this event since 2022

  • 2023 Genesis Scottish Open winner has finished inside the top five the last three starts at the event (Won/2023, T4/2024, T2/2025)

  • World No. 2 is making 10th start on TOUR this season and has a win (Masters Tournament) and runner-up (The Genesis Invitational)

  • 30-time PGA TOUR winner has earned five PGA TOUR wins internationally, the most of any player since 2003

  • Seeks his fifth consecutive season with multiple PGA TOUR titles

  • Would become the first player to win the Masters Tournament and Genesis Scottish Open in the same season

Additional notes

  • Marks the fifth consecutive year that the Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance between both Tours

  • Making his Genesis Scottish Open debut and 200th PGA TOUR start, nine-time winner Brooks Koepka (T6/-4) opens with a 4-under 66

  • 2024 Genesis Scottish Open winner Robert MacIntyre sits T13 after recording a 3-under 67

  • One week before defending his 2025 Open Championship title, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T27/-2) posts a 2-under 68; FedExCup leader and 20-time PGA TOUR winner holds 35 straight top-25 finishes, the second most in the past 40 years (most: 38/Tiger Woods)

  • Chris Gotterup (T27/-2) is seeking to successfully defend his first title on TOUR and become the first player to successfully defend at the Genesis Scottish Open



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