Rahm return & course changes – Scottish Open preview

July 7, 2026 No Comments

Rahm return & course changes – Scottish Open previewImage source, SNSImage caption, Chris Gotterup is back to defend the title he won by two shots last yearByMartin WattBBC Sport ScotlandPublished40 minutes ago2026 Genesis Scottish OpenVenue: Renaissance Club, East Lothian Dates: 9-12 JulyCoverage: Follow live text coverage of all four rounds on the BBC Sport website and app; watch Saturday and Sunday highlights on BBC iPlayer at 21:00 BSTRory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler… and Jon Rahm.A world-class Genesis Scottish Open field has an extra twist of intrigue this week as Rahm plays his first PGA Tour event outside of majors since his controversial switch to LIV Golf in December 2023.Fellow LIV player and Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton also tees it up at the Renaissance Club where the purse is a tidy £6.7m and the winner pockets £1.2m.America’s Chris Gotterup is bidding to become the first back-to-back Scottish Open champion, while the course where he pipped McIlroy to glory last year has a new routing for the 2026 edition.Here’s all you need to know for this week’s tournament in East Lothian.Trump planning to visit Irish Open at Doonbeg

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Why is Rahm able to play?

Because the Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Rahm is eligible after ending a “stand-off” with the latter in May.

Likewise, Hatton and five other LIV players are in the 156-man field having been granted conditional releases by the DP World Tour. It marks the first time active LIV members have played a PGA Tour event.

While there is plenty of excitement over two-time major winner Rahm’s Scottish Open return, the Spaniard has not ruled out putting his own money towards trying to help LIV survive. The breakaway tour’s future is in doubt beyond the end of the season, when Saudi Arabia will pull its funding.

Speaking at the Renaissance Club on Tuesday, Rahm reported: “They haven’t asked me to put my money in yet.

“Something I’ve learned in life, never say never. I’m not going to say absolutely no to anything that can happen in the future.”

Rahm, who last played the Scottish Open four years ago, insists it feels no different being back in PGA Tour action – “it’s just another event” – but is targeting a first win on Scottish soil in “one of my favourite weeks”.

“As far as strength of field goes, it does feel like you have two majors in a row without being a major, it’s that good,” he added. “It speaks to how good this event is for all these players to come in here.”

Who else is in the field?

The Scottish Open is a massive event in its own right and, as Rahm intimated, its slot on the calendar immediately preceding The Open does no harm in enticing the game’s best players.

With the final major of the season looming tantalisingly at Royal Birkdale next week, the chance for players to sharpen their game on a links layout is a gimme.

Scheffler and McIlroy, the world number one and two respectively, are the headline acts, while fellow top-10 star, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, eyes his fourth title of a fruitful season.

Defending champion Gotterup also has three wins already this year and arrives in fine fettle after surging to victory at the John Deere Classic on Sunday with his brother on the bag.

“I really do enjoy coming over here,” Gotterup reported. “I’m on my fourth week in a row, but I was saying to people, I feel like when I come over here it’s a fresh start because it’s so different from what we are used to.

“I really enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun walking into town every night and walking North Berwick to the course. It’s a fun, different change of pace for us.”

Scheffler’s solitary victory so far in 2026 represents something of a drought by his impeccably high standards.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, having sensationally completed a back-to-back Masters triumph in April, now tees it up for the first time since a disappointing tied-32nd place at the US Open last month.

At least the Scottish Open tends to bring out the best in McIlroy, who triumphed in 2023 and has made the top five in both visits since.

Current US Open champion Wyndham Clark and US PGA winner Aaron Rai are also eyeing the prize, while five-time major champion Brooks Koepka ends an 11-year absence from the tournament.

Robert MacIntyre, the 2024 champion, leads home hopes and joins McIlroy and Gotterup in a box-office grouping for the first two days.

What are the course changes?

The Renaissance Club plays host for the eighth straight year, but now carries a different order, reverting to the routing used in 2019 when the tournament first came here.

While the layout’s par 70 and 7,282-yard distance stay the same, the first seven holes of the front and back nine have switched. Holes eight, nine, 17 and 18 remain the same.

So the first is now what was the par-five 10th. And the fan-favourite stadium hole sixth – rebranded as ‘The Thistle’ – is now one of two par threes in the final four holes as organisers strive for a more compelling closing stretch.

European Ryder Cup star and world number 13 Viktor Hovland has backed the changes: “I think it adds a little bit of excitement.

“Having a short par four kind of drivable and then 15, the short par three, it makes sense to have those on the back nine leading up to the finish of this great event.

“It makes for a better finish. I think it’s a good job and I hope we get to see this most years going forward.”

Anything else?

Three places in The Open at Royal Birkdale are up for grabs for players not already exempt. The hopefuls include the other five Scots in the field – Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewan Ferguson, Calum Hill and Scott Jamieson.

Also, don’t forget to bring sun-cream. Fans were treated to a scorcher last year and decent weather is again on the way.

Thursday is forecast to be the warmest – reaching 22C – while Saturday is set to be mainly cloudy with intermittent showers.

Winds across the four days are not due to top 15mph, so will the players capitalise on the benign conditions?

Selected round one tee times

(All times BST)

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

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