Rory McIlroy was satisfied to walk off the course with a 65 and share the lead at the Scottish Open on Thursday in North Berwick, Scotland, even with a few close-range misses he’d like to have back.
McIlroy helped set the pace with Tom Kim of South Korea, Bernd Wiesberger of Austria and Patrick Cantlay at 5-under, one shot clear of Brooks Koepka, Min Woo Lee of Australia, Patrick Reed and a host of others tied for fifth.
A number of challengers remained on the course including Scottie Scheffler, who birdied the par-3 ninth hole and was 2-under at the turn.
An uneven start for McIlroy was erased by consecutive birdies and a sand save for par at the ninth, helping shave off two bogeys on his opening nine — including his first hole of the day at No. 10 — and the 18th. He credited his putting for the brilliant eagle at No. 1, a par-5 playing over 600 yards this week.
“I did that today. I played the par 5s well. I think I hit all three greens in regulation: one putt dropped for eagle and two two-putt birdies always helps the card,” McIlroy said. “Overall, good to get my first round of competitive golf on a links golf course and it’s obviously a great start to the tournament.”
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who won the event in 2023, played with McIlroy and defending champ Chris Gotterup to large and noisy galleries. MacIntyre sits two shots back of the lead, tied with U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark after first-round 67s.
“Every time I come back and play in Scotland, it’s unbelievable,” MacIntyre said.
Gotterup took a bogey 4 on his final hole of the day, the ninth, and is 2-under. He birdied four of his first eight holes on his back nine Thursday.
