Rory McIlroy is happy to be back playing links golf, and it shows.
The reigning back-to-back Masters champion opened with a 5-under 65 as he looks to win his second Genesis Scottish Open title. He shares the lead with Patrick Cantlay, Bernd Wiesberger and Tom Kim.
“I played the par 5s well,” McIlroy said on Thursday at The Renaissance Club. “I think I hit all three greens in regulation. You know, one putt dropped for eagle and two two-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.”
The 37-year-old fared the best of his group. The 2023 champion is paired with 2024 champion Robert MacIntyre (opening 67), whom he beat by a stroke in ’23, and reigning champion Chris Gotterup (opening 68), who is coming off a win at the John Deere Classic last weekend.
McIlroy had five birdies and an eagle to just two bogeys.
That’s despite having less starts than both MacIntyre and Gotterup as of late.
In general, McIlroy is playing a lighter schedule these days and has made only five starts in the past three months.
“The benefits are seeing my family more,” McIlroy said when asked about the pros and cons of playing less. “Feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life.
“… I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good. So it’s not like I’m coming in and starting slow, and the little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.
“I think one of the other benefits for me, like I’m nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible, and playing a lighter schedule definitely does that.”
McIlroy was then asked about playing without the career Grand Slam looming over him anymore — about playing without that pressure for another decade.
“A decade?” McIlroy responded.
“Well, hope so,” the interviewer replied.
“We’ll see.
“It’s a very liberating feeling, but again, I can’t get complacent. I still need to set goals. Scottie [Scheffler] talked about it at Shinnecock a couple weeks ago, like if he were to go win the Grand Slam, the goal posts move and you have to figure out what else you want to do.
“To me, I’ve said this a few times this year, I felt like the Grand Slam last year was the destination, and I realized it wasn’t. It a continuous journey.
“It’s a journey until you decide one day that you want to step off and do something else, but as long as I’m on this journey, there will always be goals to achieve.”
McIlroy felt like Thursday was a relatively complete performance from him, from driving the ball well to putting nicely. It’s not necessarily because the course itself suits his game, but naturally, the Northern Irishman feels at home playing in the United Kingdom.
The McIlroys, including Rory’s wife, Erica, and daughter, Poppy, recently relocated from Florida to London, marking a transition back to Rory’s roots.
“I think now at this stage of my career, I really enjoy coming back here to play,” McIlroy said. “It reminds me of why I started to play the game in the first place; links golf courses and the crowds are incredible, and the crowds next week at The Open will be amazing, as well. I think all of that, it’s — I don’t want to say reminiscent of when I was growing up, but it’s a comfortable environment for me to play in.”
