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Scottish Open First Round Takeaways: Rory McIlroy Puts on a Show; Jon Rahm Does the Opposite

Andy Nesbitt|
Rory McIlroy is tied for the lead after firing a 5-under 66.
Rory McIlroy is tied for the lead after firing a 5-under 66. | Malcolm Mackenzie/PA Images via Getty Images

The 2026 Scottish Open is off and running and a number of big names are in the mix after a beautiful sun-drenched first day of links golf at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.

Five players, including Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, are tied for the lead at five-under par after the first round. Scottie Scheffler is three shots back after shooting a two-under 68. Jon Rahm, meanwhile, is way back after struggling to a three-over 73.

Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines from Thursday’s action.

Rory McIlroy looked really good in his first action since the U.S. Open

This is McIlroy’s first tournament since finishing T32 at the U.S. Open last month, and there were no signs of rust for the No. 2 player in the world as he had five birdies and an eagle in his opening round.

His coolest shot of the day, however, helped him save par. Check out this bunker shot on the par-3 ninth hole (his 18th hole of the day):

Holy backspin. What a way to end his round.

Here’s how he made eagle on the 594-yard par-5 first hole:

McIlroy won this event in 2023 and finished second last year to Chris Gotterup. It’s safe to say he feels very comfortable playing links golf and he should be primed to not only contend this week, but also next week at the British Open.

Jon Rahm put up a stinker

Rahm is in the field this week because it’s a co-sanctioned event by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. With LIV Golf in a seven-week break, Rahm was hoping to use this tournament to get ready for the British Open. But after a three-over 73 on Thursday he’s going to have work to do in the second round to make it to the weekend.

Rahm started his round by going four-over on the front nine with four bogeys and no birdies. A bogey on the 11th hole dropped him in a deeper hole but then back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 helped him get a little momentum.

Scottie Scheffler made the broadcast’s graphics look silly

Scheffler had four birdies and two bogeys on his round. One of his birdies has gone viral as the line he took on his putt made the graphic shown on the broadcast look pretty silly.

Check this out:

Nice try, aim line.

Scheffler has been having some fun this week, as he was seen checking out the legendary North Berwick Golf Club on Wednesday night. Here he is hitting a shot over the famous stone wall in front of the 13th green:

Brooks Koepka is in contention the week before the season’s final major

Brooks Koepka has had a challenging year after jumping from LIV Golf to the PGA Tour. The five-time major champion, however, got off to a hot start on Thursday with a four-under 66. Koekpa started his round with back-to-back bogeys but then had seven birdies over his final 16 holes.

Links golf is back, and it’s spectacular

One of the best things about links golf is watching the best players in the world have to hit some shots that they have likely never hit before.

Justin Thomas knows what we’re talking about;

Thomas was able to make par on that hole and is four shots back at one-under.

Tom Kim, back?

Tom Kim has had a lost season so far but then last month at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, he came out of nowhere to finish in third place. Now he’s tied for the lead at the Scottish Open after carding six birdies and a bogey in his opening round.

He seems to like playing golf in Scotland:

Defending champion Chris Gotterup is in the hunt

Gotterup got his second career win here last year and is coming off his fifth career win last week at the John Deere Classic. He’s three back after carding a two-under 68, which included a nice up-and-down for par after getting out of a bit of trouble on the second hole:

Links golf is the best. Can’t wait for Friday’s second round.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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