Tom McKibbin was one of the late starters on day one of the Genesis Scottish Open and he handled the tougher afternoon conditions well to post a three-under 67 that leaves him tied for 13th and just two back.
Starting on the 10th, the 23-year-old went bogey-free, carding birdies on each of the three par-5s – the 12th, 1st and 7th – and he’ll be among the first to take to the course in round two with the opportunity to set a clubhouse target for the afternoon wave to aim for.
Former champions Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger were part of a five-way tie for the lead on a day of glorious sunshine and relatively calm wind at The Renaissance Club. The pair – who have six Rolex Series titles between them – carded rounds of 65 to get to five-under and join South Korea’s Tom Kim and American Patrick Cantlay at the summit as the afternoon starters began their rounds.
They were all briefly passed by Rasmus Højgaard as the twilight began to set in on the East Lothian coast but the Dane could not hold on and he too finished the day at five-under.
McIlroy revealed this week he was learning to love The Renaissance Club, and 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s backed up that claim. Starting on the 10th, he mixed three birdies with bogeys on the 10th and 18th before an 18-foot eagle on the first sparked his round. A birdie on the par-5 seventh took him to four under before he holed from off the green on the eighth to join Kim, Cantlay and Wiesberger at five under.
“I thought for the most part, I played well,” said the seven-time Race to Dubai champion. “I felt like I drove the ball particularly well, and I started to see that at Shinnecock, as well, 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 setup scoring opportunities. I did that today. I played the par fives well. I think I hit all three greens in regulation. You know, one putt dropped for eagle and two 2-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.
“I’m pretty happy with how I’ve played out there. I drove the ball well, which has been something that, you know, wasn’t there at the start of the year. I think switching to this driver that’s a little bit heavier, a little — got a little bit more spin on it as well, that’s definitely helped me keep the ball in play a little bit more.
“I feel like my iron play was pretty good for the most part. Putted the ball nicely. I didn’t put myself out of position too much. I hit a pretty wide drive on 18 and had to hack that one out but overall, I feel like on this golf course, if I put it in play off the tee, then I can attack from there.”
Wiesberger, who was as low as 380th in the world earlier this year, continued the return to form that saw him win this event and finish third on the Race to Dubai in 2019. The 2026 Volvo China Open champion recovered from an opening bogey on the tenth with five birdies in his next seven holes, added further gains on the first and second to make it seven birdies in ten holes, before a bogey on the eighth dropped him back into a share of the lead.
Højgaard, playing his first competitive event since the end of May, looked rusty off the tee at times but scrambled superbly from the thicker rough. He sandwiched a bogey on the second with birdies on the first and fourth before an eagle on the par-five seventh helped him turn in 32. Birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th followed, but a double bogey on the 16th interrupted his momentum before he responded with a birdie on the par-three 17th.
Kim, who announced himself on the world stage with a third-place finish here in 2022 and has never finished worse than tied-17th at The Renaissance Club, carded six birdies, including four over his final seven holes, against a lone bogey.
Ryder Cup star Cantlay finished fourth at this event in 2022 and he went round bogey-free with gains on the 11th, 13th, 16th, 18th and first.
There was then a group of seven players one shot off the lead made up of five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka, fellow Americans Kurt Kitayama, Andrew Novak and Michael Thorbjornsen, Australian Min Woo Lee and rising DP World Tour stars Angel Ayora and Oliver Lindell.
There were 14 players two shots off the lead including local hero and 2024 champion Robert MacIntyre, fellow Scot Calum Hill, major champion Danny Willett and Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
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