Former champions McIlroy and Wiesberger share five-way lead after day one at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger card brilliant rounds of 65 alongside Tom Kim, Patrick Cantlay, and Rasmus Højgaard to spark a congested leaderboard in East Lothian
Korea - Former winners Rory McIlroy and Bernd Wiesberger rolled back the years at The Renaissance Club to join a five-way tie for the lead following a low-scoring opening day at the Genesis Scottish Open. On a day blessed with glorious sunshine and unusually calm coastal conditions, the marquee duo—who boast six Rolex Series titles between them—carded five-under-par 65s to join South Korea’s Tom Kim and American Patrick Cantlay at the top of the leaderboard. A late-evening surge from Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard briefly threatened to break the deadlock before a closing double-bogey forced him to settle for a share of the pole position.
“I thought for the most part, I played well. I felt like I drove the ball particularly well,” said McIlroy, who extended his remarkable streak to 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s at the East Lothian venue. After a mixed start, the 37-year-old ignited his round by draining a stunning 18-foot eagle putt on the par-five first hole before holing out from off the putting surface on the eighth. “I think switching to this driver that’s a little bit heavier has definitely helped me keep the ball in play a little bit more. If I put it in play off the tee, then I can attack from there.”
Austria’s Wiesberger continued his career resurgence, trading seven birdies across an electric ten-hole stretch to overcome an opening bogey. Having struggled for form over the past two seasons, the 2019 champion admitted that golf feels “nice and easy” following a victory at the Volvo China Open and a high finish in Munich last week. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Tom Kim displayed his affinity for links layouts by rattling off four birdies in his final seven holes, and a bogey-free Patrick Cantlay relied on clinical short-game precision to safely position himself inside the leading tier.
The chasing pack remains breathing down the neck of the co-leaders, with a high-profile group of seven players sitting just one stroke adrift at four-under par. That faction includes five-time Major champion Brooks Koepka, Australia’s Min Woo Lee, and the unheralded European pair of Angel Ayora and Oliver Lindell. Furthermore, a massive 14-player cluster sits at three-under par, spearheaded by local hero and 2024 champion Robert MacIntyre alongside Ryder Cup standard-bearers Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, ensuring a highly competitive second round as stronger coastal winds are forecasted to return.