Wednesday July 8th 2026
Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open press conference today.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Adam Bowen
Rory McIlroy spoke to the press today ahead of tomorrow’s tee time with Gotterup and MacIntyre at the Scottish Open.
When he was asked for his opinion on the layout change, he replied to say that it is ‘still the same 18 holes’ although he believes it may add a more exciting effect for the final stretch come Sunday. He did however touch on the fact that there seems to have been some work done to the rough, as it looks more ‘penal’, a point which many other players have alluded to.
Due to this, he said that he might have to be a bit more strategic off the tee.
Rory believes that this event can be the ‘blueprint’ for other National Opens, which is a hot topic now due to the recent structural changes to the season.
Rory is obviously used to links golf, mentioning how it starts ‘coming back to you’ when playing these types of courses back home. In terms of the Renaissance course itself, he mentioned how the first time he was here he wasn’t enamoured by it, however over the years it has ‘grown on him a lot.’
Finally, regarding the large number of high-profile LIV Golf players competing this week, Rory said that he wants to have all the best players in the world playing together and that it is better for the event if the LIV Golf players are competing.
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