Rory McIlroy credits family time with wife Erica after flying start at Scottish Open

Rory McIlroy fired an opening five-under-par 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open and revealed his lighter playing schedule has given him something even more valuable than extra preparation time — greater balance in his life with wife Erica and daughter Poppy. 

The World No.2 recovered brilliantly from an opening-hole bogey at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, mixing five birdies and an eagle with two dropped shots to move into an early share of the clubhouse lead alongside Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim and Bernd Wiesberger.

Starting on the 10th tee, McIlroy stumbled with a bogey before responding with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 16th. 

Another bogey at the 18th briefly halted his momentum, but he immediately bounced back by holing an eagle at the par-5 1st before adding further birdies at the 7th and 8th.

McIlroy then completed an impressive opening round of 65 with a stunning up-and-down for par on the 9th. 

McIlroy, who won the Scottish Open in 2023, is using this week's Rolex Series event as his final tune-up before next week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

After his round, the six-time major champion was asked whether playing just four tournaments over the past three months had helped or hindered his preparation.

McIlroy believes reducing his schedule has brought significant benefits both on and off the course.

"The benefits are seeing my family more," McIlroy said.

"I feel like I have a bit more balance in my life.

"Even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts to my tournaments have all been really good.

"It's not like I'm coming in and starting slowly, and the little bit of extra practice actually helps in some ways.

"I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible. 

"Playing a lighter schedule definitely does that."

Earlier this season, McIlroy announced he would scale back his PGA Tour commitments, opting to skip three of the circuit's eight Signature Events in 2026.

His fresh approach appears to be paying off, especially after having successfully defended The Masters in April. 

"I thought for the most part I played well," McIlroy said of his first round at The Renaissance Club. 

"I drove the ball particularly well, and I started to see that at Shinnecock Hills a couple of weeks ago.

"If I keep putting the ball in play, I feel like I can attack golf courses and create scoring opportunities. I did that today.

"I played the par fives well. I hit all three greens in regulation, made one eagle and two birdie putts. That always helps the scorecard.

"Overall, it was nice to get my first competitive round on a links course under my belt, and it's obviously a great start to the tournament."

Elsewhere, five-time major champion Brooks Koepka made an encouraging start with a four-under 66 after accepting a sponsor's invitation into the field, while defending champion Bob MacIntyre delighted the home crowd with a three-under 67.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler was among the afternoon starters and sat level par through his opening four holes at the time of publication.

The Scottish Open is a co-sanctioned tournament on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. There is a $9m prize purse, with $1.62m going to the winner.