'It has grown on me a lot' - Genesis Scottish Open venue gets Rory McIlroy's seal of approval

“This course has definitely grown on me as the years have gone by,” admitted Rory McIlroy on the eve of the eighth edition of the event at the American-owned Dirleton facility. “When I first came here, I think just because you come to Scotland and you play so many great golf courses, there are so many great golf courses in this area, I think we sometimes jump to maybe not liking a course because of how new it is or maybe some greens are a bit too slopey or whatever. But I must say, over the years, it has grown on me a lot, and I think it's sort of become a really good venue for this tournament.”

Others share that sentiment. Hence why six of the top ten and 14 in the 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking are here this week at a tournament, which, for the last two years, has boasted the fifth-strongest field in golf after the majors. All the big guns, of course, have one eye on next week’s 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, but, at the same time, this is a title every single player in the game would love to have on their CV.

“I think it would be really fun,” admitted world No 1 Scottie Scheffler in reply to being asked what a win on Scottish soil would mean to him. “I didn't come over here just for smoke and prep. I came over here to play golf and play well. Being over here in the home of golf, we have good fans over here. Always get good support. I don't think I've played in the final group here yet. So it would be nice to get up near the lead and experience that as well.”

This year’s winner will do things a bit differently. The first seven holes on each nine have been reversed. One of the main reasons for that has been to change what was The Stadium but now rebranded as The Thistle from the sixth to the 15th. Come Sunday afternoon, the atmosphere there should be electric.

“I think it can be a really good change,” observed Aaron Rai, the 2020 winner over the old routing and now back to try and repeat the feat on the new one as a major champion after winning the PGA Championship at Aronimink in May. “I think a couple of the changes, as well, makes the actual design a little bit harder and more to think about. Yeah, I think it's another step forward for the golf course.”

Visually, the Tom Doak-designed course is looking better than it ever has. The fairways are flanked by long wispy rough and, though a 62 from Chris Gotterup, the eventual winner, in the second round last year showed that low scores are a possibility, measures appear to have been taken to toughen it up a bit.

“This course has definitely rewarded longer hitters and hitting driver a lot and getting it down there,” observed McIlroy, who landed the title in 2023 with a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to pip Bob MacIntyre. “The rough is noticeably more penal this year. Just having to be more thoughtful about tee shots and some of your play off the tee. But everything else is pretty much the same.”

Scheffler, who is defending The Open title in Lancashire next week, noticed one change. “I think I saw a new bunker on the seventh hole,” he observed of what used to be the 16th and where MacIntyre made eagle after getting a fortuitous drop in thick rough when he went one better in 2024. “Seems like it's in good shape again this year. Should be good,” added the American in offering his verdict on how the course is looking.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are among seven LIV Golf players in the field, which contains all four of the current major champions. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, is making his Genesis Scottish Open debut, though the American played in the event in the past under different title sponsors.

“Excited to be here,” admitted Koepka, who is back playing on the PGA Tour after being offered a pathway back to the circuit after ending his LIV Golf stint. “It's always exciting to play links golf. It's so much fun. You have to be so creative. I enjoy that part of it.”

Scheffler, too. “It’s a pure and raw way to play golf,” he said. “The conditions can change pretty quickly, and that could have an effect on the tournament.” Like a wind switch, for example. After blowing out of the west all week, it’s set to move round to the north-east on Thursday afternoon. That could lead to a fog issue on Friday morning.

The winner on Sunday will secure a spot in The Masters next year. Three berths are also up for grabs in The Open, with 74 out of the 156 players having that as an added incentive. MacIntyre is heading to Royal Birkdale, with Grant Forrest, Calum Hill, Ewen Ferguson, Connor Syme and Scott Jamieson all having a chance to make the journey as well.

Last year’s event attracted a record crowd of 88,735. With another stellar cast, ticket sales have been strong again for this edition, with the bar in terms of the spectator experience having been raised once again. McIlroy is right, you know. This really is a good all-round venue for this tournament.