“When I tee the ball on Thursday, I’ll try to win the championship. There might be some alcohol still in the system but I will try my best”
TROON, Scotland — The drive from The Renaissance Club, site of last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, in North Berwick to Royal Troon is slightly more than two hours depending on the traffic near Glasgow. But Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who won in his homeland on Sunday with a dramatic birdie on the final hole, won’t be making the trip on Monday. Probably not Tuesday either.
MacIntyre said as much in his winner’s press conference and he stuck to his words, canceling his Monday press conference ahead of the 152nd Open, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET). He won’t meet with the media now until Wednesday at noon local time (7 a.m. ET). He’ll be too busy celebrating winning his personal major.
“How I come down from this, I don’t think I will,” he said on Sunday. “I think I will just try and ride the wave, and next week, yeah, it’s Open Championship. That means, again, a lot to me. But you’ve got to celebrate the good times because it doesn’t happen a lot and this is one I said I wanted. This, I’m going to celebrate hard and I’ll pitch up when I tee the ball on Thursday, whatever time I tee off, I’ll try to win the championship. There might be some alcohol still in the system but I will try my best.”
MacIntyre, who won for the second time this season as a rookie on the PGA Tour, might be fighting a bit of a hangover from the sound of it.
“Look, I’m going to celebrate this win with my friends and family, everyone that’s there. I don’t think they are going to be home for a bit tonight,” he said on Sunday. “We’ll celebrate this one now.”
MacIntyre also won the RBC Canadian Open earlier this season.
All is not lost for the Aussie, however, as Scott is pocketing $981,000. Rory McIlroy, who won in 2023, finished T-4 alongside Ludvig Aberg, who shot 3 over in the final round.
Here’s a closer look at how much each player made at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open from a purse of $9 million.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre realized a dream on Sunday, holing a 22-foot birdie putt at the last to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one stroke over Australian Adam Scott.
“In my head I just kept saying to myself, this is what you do, Bob,” MacIntyre said of his winning putt to claim his national championship in the tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. “I’ve done it.”
MacIntrye played the final five holes in four under to shoot 3-under 67 at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick and become the first Scot since Colin Montgomerie to win on home soil in 25 years and just the second to do so in the 42 times it has been played since first being contested on the DP World Tour in 1972.
“A lot of people might say, he doesn’t quite have this, he doesn’t quite have that, but I’ve got fight and that’s all I need,” MacIntyre said.
The 27-year-old lefthander and pride of Oban, MacIntyre made just one birdie and two bogeys in his first 13 holes to trail by three shots with five holes to go. He benefited from a rare off day from Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg, who led by two heading into the day but shot 3 over on the round after hitting only five fairways to place T-4. Scott looked out of the trophy hunt too after he made double bogey at No. 8. But he holed a bunker shot for birdie at the ninth and added three birdies against a single bogey on the closing nine for 67. He was searching for his first victory in more than four years.
“A shame to come up short but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff,” Scott said.
Momentum shifted to MacIntyre when he sank a 41-foot birdie putt at 14 and he benefited from a rules official granting free relief at the par-5 16th when it was determined that he was standing on a sprinkler head in deep rough.
Robert MacIntyre of Scotland celebrates victory on the 18th green during day four of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 14, 2024 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
“I’m shouting and I’m swearing when I’m getting up to the ball because I know that that’s my chance to really make birdie coming in. I got over the ball, looked at it, thinking, I’m in a bit of trouble here. Might manage to move it maybe a hundred yards,” he explained. “Look, I got a bit of luck on 16 and you need a bit of luck to win golf tournaments. I couldn’t believe when I heard a spring under my foot where my spike is at and I’m like no way. It was covered, and I thought, I got lucky; it was meant to be.”
Thanks to a drop in shorter grass, he nailed a 6-iron from 248 yards to 6 feet for eagle to tie Scott for the lead.
In the tournament within a tournament, Richard Mansell shot a course-record-tying 61 to finish T-10 and earn one of three places into next week’s British Open along with Alex Noren and Aaron Rai as the top finishers not already exempt into the final men’s major of the year. Rory McIlroy, in his first start since finishing second at the U.S. Open last month, opened with 65 and shot a stroke higher each day to finish T-4 in his title defense.
Last year, MacIntyre had his heart ripped out after McIlroy birdied the final two holes to steal the trophy. This year, the tables turned.
“I thought it was short,” MacIntyre said of the winning putt.
The double-breaker just dripped in the front door, for a winning total of 18-under 262, and MacIntyre pumped both fists in the air and screamed so loud he claimed he had lost his voice.
MacIntyre won his first PGA Tour title, the RBC Canadian Open, last month. With the win in his native country, MacIntyre became only the second Scot to win twice in one PGA Tour season, joining Sandy Lyle in 1988.
“I wanted the Scottish Open and I got it,” he said.
This week’s winner will walk away with $1.62 million of the $9 million purse and 500 FedEx Cup points.
Another day has come and gone along the Scottish coast, but one thing remains the same.
Ludvig Aberg leads by two shots with 18 holes to go at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open. Aberg shot 5-under 66 on Saturday, his worst round of the week, to extend his lead. He’ll play in the final round with Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre, who finished runner-up at The Renaissance Club last year.
Adam Scott is solo third at 14 under, three shots behind Aberg, while Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Sungjae Im and Antoine Rosner are T-4 at 13 under. Rory McIlroy bogeyed his final hole and shot 3 under on moving day and is five shots behind going to Sunday in his title defense.
Missing or being late to a tee time is never a good thing. Especially at a professional golf event.
That’s what happened to Mackenzie Hughes on Saturday, who was penalized two shots for being late to his third-round tee time at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. The penalty was added to his score on the first hole, giving him a double-bogey 6.
Hughes’ tee time was scheduled for 2:45 p.m. local time in Scotland, so one can wonder how he was late.
However, the late start didn’t seem to hamper Hughes, who was 1 under for his round thru 10 holes and inside the top 20 on the leaderboard.
Mackenzie Hughes was assessed a two-stroke penalty for being late to his third-round tee time at the Genesis Scottish Open.
The two-stroke penalty was applied to the par-4 first hole.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) July 13, 2024
When the Danish star had a strap on his right wrist, fans could only expect the worst.
Rasmus Hojgaard has four DP World Tour wins under his belt, but he’s racked up nearly as many injuries along the way.
Hojgaard has dealt with a myriad of health issues in the five years since turning pro, including problems with a rib, shoulder and finger.
So when the Danish star appeared for the second round of the Genesis Scottish Open with a strap on his right wrist, fans could only expect the worst.
Instead, the twin brother of PGA Tour player Nicolai came out firing on all cylinders at The Renaissance Club, posting a 63 on Friday to get to 9 under through 36 holes.
“Very unfortunate. I had a lie in the rough on 13 (on Thursday). I didn’t think much of it until I hit the shot, and the club just stuck into the ground,” Hojgaard said. “It feels better today. I’m just happy that I can play now.”
On more than one occasion, Hojgaard, who became the third-youngest player to win on the DP World Tour when he captured the 2019 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, let his hand fly off the club, but he insisted that had nothing to do with his injury.
“It wasn’t because it was too painful. I can feel it pretty much on every shot. It’s just having the confidence to put a better swing all the time,” he said. “It will probably be better the next couple days. I was kind of expecting a few shots out there to be very painful but that didn’t really show up. So I’m happy with that.”
Hojgaard sits T-5 after two rounds, but he’s not even well ahead in terms of family standings. Nicolai, who has played 15 times on the PGA Tour this season, is just a stroke behind his brother.
“I said to some of the guys at the start of the week, I just wanted to have four rounds of golf this week,” Rasmus Hojgaard said. “I’ve managed that now, and I think I just try to be as much pain-free as possible the next couple days.”
A two-week stretch across the pond starts at the Scottish Open.
Ludvig Aberg holds the outright 36-hole lead at the Genesis Scottish Open after consecutive 6-under 64s. Aberg missed the cut at this event last season.
One shot behind the Swede is Antonie Rozner at 11 under, while Matteo Manassero and Sungjae Im are tied for fourth at 10 under.
There are superstar names inside the top 10, including Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Sahith Theegala all at 9 under, T-5.
Thomas holds his one-shot lead over Sungjae Im, who is in second by himself. Lots of big names are inside the top 10, including Ludvig Aberg (T-3), Rory McIlroy (T-8) and Collin Morikawa (T-8).
This week’s winner will walk away with $1.62 million of the $9 million purse and 500 FedEx Cup points.
The Renaissance Club is a par-70 track designed by Tom Doak measuring 7,237 yards.
From tee times to TV info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round of the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open. All times listed are ET.
“I think Keegan was probably in disbelief, at some point, too, but certainly an interesting pick.”
Many wondered what Rory McIlroy’s game would look like after taking three weeks off following his disappointment at the U.S. Open where he played his final four holes 3 over to lose to Bryson DeChambeau by a shot.
He put those questions to bed Thursday morning.
This week’s defending champion posted an opening-round 5-under 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open and was tied for third after the morning wave.
McIlroy’s day began on The Renaissance Club’s 10th hole, where he made a birdie on the par 5. Although he gave it right back on the 11th, McIlroy added birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to go out with a 1-under 34.
After making the turn, the Northern Irishman got it going.
He hit his approach into the first — his 10th — to less than four feet and converted for birdie. After a par on No. 2, McIlroy chipped in from off the third green for an eagle to get to 4 under on the day.
He added his fifth circle to the card on No. 4 and would finish his day with five pars — McIlroy missed birdie putts of six feet, eight feet and 11 feet on Nos. 5, 6 and 9, respectively — to solidify his 5-under effort.
“My game has been feeling pretty good in practice over the last ten or so days since I picked the club back up,” he told the media Thursday afternoon. “Obviously, the last time I played, I played well. I didn’t get the result I wanted but I’ve still got a lot of confidence in my game.
“I went time-out there today, shot a solid score. A couple I would have liked to hole coming in and be a few shots lower but overall great start to the tournament. Yeah, I sort of picked up where I left off.”
“I think a surprise for everyone,” he said. “We had dinner in London on Sunday night with (European Ryder Cup captain) Luke (Donald), and he told us then. Yeah, it’s an interesting appointment. The youngest captain since Arnold Palmer, I think was a playing captain at 34. But he knows Bethpage very well. He went to university in the area. He’s obviously very passionate about the Ryder Cup.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s certainly a departure from what the U.S. have done over the last few years, and you know, time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.”
As for the mood in the room?
“I think disbelief, probably. I think Keegan was probably in disbelief, at some point, too, but certainly an interesting pick.”
The last time we saw Rory McIlroy, he was driving away from Pinehurst No. 2 after gifting the U.S. Open to Bryson DeChambeau thanks to three bogeys over his final four holes, two of which were results of short misses with the putter.
But among the inquiries about the final hour of the USGA’s flagship event, McIlroy was asked about the online criticism his caddie, Harry Diamond, has received since their last time on the course.
For some context, Hank Haney tweeted this a few days after DeChambeau’s win:
I will say this, if Steve Williams was Rory’s caddie I can promise you he would have never hit a perfect flighted 7 iron that rolled over the green on 15 into a terrible lie because he would have hit an 8 iron and sent it straight up in the air and held the green.
And Smylie Kaufman said this during an appearance on Golf’s Subpar Podcast:
“I felt like (caddie) Harry Diamond really should have stepped in on the 15th hole.
“He did not have the right club in his hands. And I felt like Rory could have taken control of the championship on 15 if he just hits it in the middle of the green. And he hit a good shot. But it just was the wrong club.
“And never, never was a 7-iron for Rory. Especially with a right flag. If the wind was down off the right, it’s not exactly a flag and a wind condition and the heat to be able to land it in a hula hoop, where you got to hit this kind of soft, spinny, fade 7-iron. It was an 8-iron all day, hit it in the middle of the green.”
McIlroy didn’t pull any punches coming to his looper’s defense.
“You know, it’s certainly unfair. Hank Haney has never been in that position. Smylie has been in that position once, and I love Smylie, and he was out there with us on 18.
“But just because Harry is not as vocal or loud with his words as other caddies, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t say anything and that he doesn’t do anything. I just wish that, you know, these guys that criticize when things don’t go my way, they never say anything good when things do go my way.
“So where were they when I won Dubai earlier this year or Quail Hollow or the two FedEx Cups that I’ve won with Harry or the two Ryder Cups or whatever? They are never there to say Harry did such a great job when I win, but they are always there to criticize when we don’t win.
“At the end of the day, they are not there. They are not the ones hitting the shots and making the decisions. Someone said to me once, you would never — if you would never take advice from these people, you would never take their criticisms, either. Certainly wouldn’t go to Hank Haney for advice. I love Smylie, but I think I know what I’m doing, and so does Harry.”
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland smiles on the second tee during the Pro-Am prior to the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 10, 2024, in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
McIlroy started working with Diamond in 2017 after his split with JP Fitzgerald, who he was paired with for eight years. The two have known each other since their junior days at Holywood Golf Club back home in Northern Ireland.
The world No. 2 is the betting favorite in North Berwick, and no doubt enters the week with added motivation and a chip on his shoulder.
We’ll see if he and his caddie can silence the critics this weekend.
