This coming week’s Genesis Scottish Open at the host Renaissance course is set to welcome a record number of major champions since the event first moved from an October date back to the week prior to the Open Championship.
That was four years ago when the tournament was first jointly sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
Sixteen major winners headed by double Masters champ and past Scottish Open title-holder, Rory McIlroy will tee-up later this week in the $US 9m tournament commencing Thursday at North Berwick.
It is the biggest field of current and/or former major champions since the Renaissance course first hosted Scotland’s premier DP World Tour event in 2019 though from 2019 to 2020 inclusive the tournament was staged in October. The 2021 event moved back to the week prior to The Open though it was not co-sanctioned.
RECORD NUMBER OF MAJORS CHAMPS …..
Set to tee-up in this coming week’s @ScottishOpen on the host @Renaissancegc
Sixteen current/former champs headed by @McIlroyRory & new @PGAChampionship Aaron Rai will contest the $9m co-sanctioned @DPWorldTour & @PGATOUR event… pic.twitter.com/gGQbyXTkSM
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) July 4, 2026
This year’s 44th hosting of Scotland’s premier event at The Renaissance Club eclipses a field of 14 major winners in 2023 when McIlroy denied local hero Robert MacIntyre who would win a year later.
Indeed MacIntyre is among just six Scots competing this year.
And MacIntyre, wh0 made his Scottish Open debut in 2019 at the Renaissance Club, has spoken often of his joy in teeing-up in his ‘home’ championshiop.
MacIntyre said: “As a kid growing up, I watched the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and dreamed of playing in it and once I got playing in it, I’m thinking, ‘let’s win this thing’, and obviously coming close.
Joining now six-time major winning McIlroy, who captured the 2023 Scottish Open championship and was also joint runner-up a year ago, will be his fellow major champions (In order on entry list):
Jon Rahm (2021 US Open, 2023 Masters)
Patrick Reed (2018 Masters)
Brooks Koepka (2108, 2019 & 2023 PGA Championship, 2017 & 2018 US Open)
Padraig Harrington (2007 Open & 2008 Open Championship, 2008 PGA Chamionship)
Scottish Scheffler (2022 & 2024 Masters, 2025 PGA Championship and 2025 Open)
JJ Spaun (2025 US Open)
Justin Thomas (2017 & 2022 PGA Championship)
Brian Harman (2023 Open Championship)
Shane Lowry (2019 Open Championship)
Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 US Open)
Xander Schauffler (2024 Open Championship)
Aaron Rai (2026 PGA Championship)
Wyndham Clark (2023 & 2026 US Open)
Adam Scott (2013 Masters)
Danny Willett (2016 Masters)
