McIlroy to defend Scottish Open title ahead of The Open

Rory McIlroy confirmed he will defend his Scottish Open title at The Renaissance Club from July 11-14 ahead of The 152nd Open the following week.

McIlroy, 34, birdied the final two holes last year to edge Scotland's Robert MacIntyre by a shot and claim his first Scottish Open title. That also made him the first player to win the Scottish Open, Irish Open and The Open.

"It was special to win the Genesis Scottish Open for the first time last season," McIlroy said. "Winning a national open is always notable, and to do it in the home of golf, with such great support from the Scottish fans, made it a memorable week."

The Scottish Open typically draws a strong field as it is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, providing players an opportunity to earn points in both the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup standings.

McIlroy and many others will follow this year's Scottish Open with a trip to The Open at Royal Troon.

He remains No 2 in the world behind only Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy opened the year with a tie for second at the Dubai Invitational before winning the Dubai Desert Classic. He made his first appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 2018 last week, but struggled to a T66 in the weather-shortened event.

After winning last year's Scottish Open, McIlroy tied for sixth at The 151st Open.

World No.2 Rory McIlroy has confirmed his attendance at this year's Scottish Open, where he'll defend the title he won in 2023 after a birdie-birdie finish pipped home favorite Robert MacIntyre by one 🏆 pic.twitter.com/L1tebwrLwS

— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) February 6, 2024