The two top-ranked players in the world took divergent paths in Scotland this week. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who won the Scottish Open back in 2023 and was runner-up a year ago, is once again off to a flying start at The Renaissance Club, grabbing a share of the lead at 9 under heading into the weekend.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who seemed to crack the code on links golf last year with his Open Championship victory, went backward on Friday and shot a 2-over 72 that dropped him to even par to miss the cut and snap his streak of playing the weekend in 78 straight tournaments. It also snapped an even more incredible streak of 37 straight tournaments with a top 25 finish for Scheffler, as he won't have a chance to make a weekend charge and will instead head down to Royal Birkdale to get a head start on preparations for next week's Open.
While Scheffler is left wondering what went wrong this week in North Berwick, McIlroy will spend another weekend vying for victory along the Scottish coast. McIlroy got off to another hot start to his second round, making four birdies in his first eight holes to quickly reach 9 under.
Past champion back in familiar territory 😤👀 Rory McIlroy takes a share of the lead in Scotland with a birdie on the 8th pic.twitter.com/DRttgHbpp4
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 10, 2026
It looked like McIlroy might pull away from the field heading into the weekend, but he couldn't carry that momentum through the second nine, treading water with one birdie and one bogey on the back side to stay in a tie for the lead alongside Jordan Smith and Tom Kim.
McIlroy has played sparingly this summer, opting to head across the pond after a disappointing close to the U.S. Open to focus on preparing for The Open rather than play in the Travelers. He's spent ample time at Royal Birkdale, following a similar preparation plan to what he did at Augusta National to capture his second green jacket, and that time reacclimatizing himself to links golf certainly is paying dividends this week.
For McIlroy to take home his second Scottish Open title and PGA Tour victory No. 31 of his career, he'll have to fend off a number of challengers. That group is headlined by the man who bested him at The Renaissance Club last year and just won last week, Chris Gotterup, and the hometown favorite and 2024 champion, Robert MacIntyre.
Leaders
T1. Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Jordan Smith (-9): Joining McIlroy at the top is an Englishman in Smith, who fired a 7-under 63 in the morning for the low round of the week to thrust himself to the top of the leaderboard. Smith made 10 of 16 cuts this season in his first full year on the PGA Tour with one top 10 finish (3rd at the Valspar), but he finds himself in the final pairing on Saturday surrounded by heavy hitters.
Kim is also part of the lead, as he has started to turn a corner with his game and is a threat, given his strong history in this event and on links courses in general. Kim finished 3rd at the U.S. Open last month -- on a links-style course at Shinnecock Hills -- and has finished in the top 20 in all four Scottish Open starts, including a 3rd and a T6.
Weekend contenders
T4. Matt Fitzpatrick, Min Woo Lee (-8) T6. Robert MacIntyre, Chris Gotterup and five others (-7) T13. Wyndham Clark, Nicolai Højgaard and three others (-6) T18. Ryan Gerard, Patrick Reed and five others (-5) T25. Justin Thomas and 10 others (-4)
The wind finally started to blow some in the afternoon on Friday, but with excellent scoring conditions, players were able to pile up birdies and bunch up the leaderboard behind the trio on top. Fitzpatrick continues to play stellar golf and will be a serious threat to McIlroy, not only as someone comfortable with links golf but also as one of the hottest players in the sport. Lee joined Fitzpatrick one back of the leaders thanks to a red-hot back nine, and if scoring conditions continue to be favorable, his ability to stack birdies will make him dangerous on the weekend.
MacIntyre and Gotterup couldn't quite maintain pace with McIlroy in the marquee group on the first two days, but at 7 under, they're still firmly in the picture to get a second Scottish Open victory. Gotterup is riding high after picking up his fifth win in a year's time last week, while MacIntyre is easily the most popular player on the course, playing at home.
Robert MacIntyre gets the home Scottish fans ROARING with a thunderous 31-foot birdie putt ⚡️🏴 pic.twitter.com/4kzbdV0Qvc
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 10, 2026
Also in the hunt is U.S. Open champion Clark, who continues his terrific run of play over the past two months. Højgaard has been a bit quiet of late, but the hard-hitting Dane is lurking around the top 10 heading into the weekend again. Reed and Thomas are two players who hoped to find some form this week heading into The Open, and have gotten off to solid starts, but will need to find a special round somewhere on the weekend if they're going to factor for the win.
Notable players who missed the cut
- Harris English (-1)
- Ludvig Åberg (-1)
- Patrick Cantlay (-1)
- Scottie Scheffler (E)
- Brooks Koepka (E)
- Shane Lowry (E)
- Alex Fitzpatrick (+1)
- Xander Schauffele (+3)
If misery loves company, Scheffler has plenty of it this week in Scotland. A host of top stars will be making an early exit from North Berwick and taking the trip down to Royal Birkdale two days sooner than expected. Schauffele, who had a 72-tournament cut streak snapped in January, sees his new 13-event streak end in Scotland with a poor effort to finish at 3 over. Cantlay was tied for the lead after the first round, but collapsed late with a 4-over 74 to finish one off the cut line. Koepka was similarly in the hunt after the first round but shot a 74 himself to end up at even par.
Updated 2026 Scottish Open odds, picks
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
- Rory McIlroy (2-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (11/2)
- Tom Kim (15/2)
- Jordan Smith (10-1)
- Min Woo Lee (12-1)
- Chris Gotterup (13-1)
- Robert MacIntyre (15-1)
- Wyndham Clark (22-1)
McIlroy is the overwhelming favorite at this point and understandably so. He'd be my pick to win at this juncture as he's been dialed with his irons and is rolling the rock beautifully on the greens at The Renaissance Club. From a value perspective, MacIntyre and Gotterup would be my two plays from a bit further back. Gotterup is clearly in great form and loves links golf, and while MacIntyre hasn't been at his best this year, he always turns up with his A-game for his home open.
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