The Genesis Scottish Open got underway Thursday at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, and there’s some serious star power near the top of the leaderboard.
Rory McIlroy fired a 5-under 65 and sits in a five-way tie for the lead with Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim, Rasmus Hojgaard and Bernd Wiesberger. One shot behind them is a group that includes Brooks Koepka and Min Woo Lee, while big names like world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and defending champion Chris Gotterup all finished the day in red numbers and remain well within striking distance after 18 holes.
Keep scrolling to see leaderboard updates, scores, highlights and more from Thursday’s opening round of the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open.
2026 Genesis Scottish Open leaderboard
Check tee times and keep tabs on every score posted at the Renaissance Club with the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open leaderboard. Here’s what it looked like at the top when play concluded Thursday:
PositionPlayerScoreThruT1Rory McIlroy-5FT1Patrick Cantlay-5FT1Rasmus Hojgaard-5FT1Tom Kim-5FT1Bernd Wiesberger-5FT6Brooks Koepka-4FT6Min Woo Lee-4FT6Michael Thorbjornsen-4FT6Kurt Kitayama-4F
Rory McIlroy extends Scottish Open hot streak
After posting 5-under 65 in the opening round Thursday, Rory McIlroy has now recorded 13 straight rounds in the 60s at the Genesis Scottish Open. He’s looking for his second win in four years at the Renaissance Club, and he’s off to a good start.
Scottie Scheffler puts the aim line to shame
Maybe that aim line was just a little bit off. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made this birdie at the 10th en route to a round of 2-under 68. He finishes the day three shots off the lead.
Rasmus Hojgaard shoots 65, joins 5-way tie for lead
Rasmus Hojgaard held the solo lead for about an hour during the late stages of play Thursday, but a double-bogey at the par-4 16th dropped him back to 4 under. He bounced right back, though, making birdie at the 17th to join a tie for the lead at 5 under with Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Patrick Cantlay and Bernd Wiesberger.
Rasmus Hojgaard takes the solo lead
Rasmus Hojgaard went out in 3-under 32 then made birdies on Nos. 11, 13 and 14 to get to 6 under and take the outright lead late Thursday.
Justin Thomas hits bunker shot from his knees
Not exactly Position A for JT here, but he made it work.
Alex Fitzpatrick clangs one off the flag
Golf is a cruel game. Alex Fitzpatrick found that out the hard way on the par-3 9th at Renaissance Club.
Rasmus Hojgaard makes eagle at No. 7
Rasmus Hojgaard is off to a hot start Thursday at the Genesis Scottish open. He made eagle at the par-5 seventh to get to 3 under and within two shots of the lead.
Justin Thomas shows off short game as afternoon wave gets underway
Justin Thomas has put up the first highlight of Thursday’s afternoon wave, pulling off some short-game magic at the par-4 2nd.
Rory McIlroy ties clubhouse lead with 65
Rory McIlroy, the 2023 Scottish Open champ, fired a 5-under 65 in the opening round at the Renaissance Club on Thursday, making birdies on two of his final three holes to move into a tie for the lead with Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim and Bernd Wiesberger. McIlroy capped off his day with this incredible sand save at the par-3 ninth, his final hole.
Tom Kim shoots 65, takes early lead
Tom Kim shot 5-under 65 and is the co-leader in the clubhouse with Bernd Wiesberger as the morning wave heads down the home stretch Thursday at the Scottish Open. Kim’s game is trending right now, with six made cuts and two top-10s in his last six starts, including a solo third at the U.S. Open.
Brooks Koepka fires 66 in opening round
It was a great start to the week for five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who made seven birdies to offset three bogeys en route to a 4-under 66 in the first round. Koepka is looking to build momentum heading into next week’s Open Championship, where he could win the third of four legs needed to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy makes eagle to move into top 10
Rory McIlroy started on the back, made two bogeys and three birdies to shoot 1-under 34, then eagled No. 1 to get to 3 under through 10. It’s a solid start for the 2023 Scottish Open champ.
Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre playing darts at Renaissance Club
Just a casual game of darts from the lads here. Only thing missing was a pint.
Defending champ Chris Gotterup bombs drive off No. 1
Where to watch, listen to the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open
PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, 3:15 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ETGolf Channel, 11 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ETPGA Tour on SiriusXM Radio, 8 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET
Watch PGA Tour Live on ESPN+
Watch Golf Channel for free on Fubo
2026 Genesis Scottish Open prize money
The Scottish has a $9 million total prize fund, with $1.62 million going to the victor.
Who’s in the field at the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open?
It’s a loaded field, one that includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2 Rory McIlroy. There are seven LIV golfers playing as well, including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
Who’s the defending champion at the Genesis Scottish Open?
That would be Chris Gotterup, who shot 4-under 66 in the final round to finish at 15 under, two shots ahead of Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and England’s Marco Penge.
Recent past champions of the Scottish Open
The tournament has been part of the Rolex Series since the Series began in 2017. The winners of the event since then:
Rafa Cabrera Bello (2017)Brandon Stone (2018)Bernd Wiesberger (2019)Aaron Rai (2020)Min Woo Lee (2021)Xander Schauffele (2022)Rory McIlroy (2023)Robert MacIntyre (2024)Chris Gotterup (2025)
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2026 Genesis Scottish Open leaderboard, Round 1 highlights: Rory McIlroy tied for lead
Reporting by Todd Kelly and Nick Stavas, Golfweek / Golfweek
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect