Rob McIntyre originally appeared on Athlon Sports ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open.
Genesis Scotland opened the field on Thursday with the tee off at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick and opened it with a star power-filled field.
Four of the top five in the world – Scotty Schaeffler, Rory McIlroy, Morikawa and Justin Thomas are ready to compete, and each wants to master the challenging par 70, 7,237 Yard link layout.
With a $9 million wallet offered, the tournament is a crucial warmth for next week’s Open Championship at the Royal Portrush.
But for Scotland’s Robert McIntyre, there’s a special weight this week.
Speaking Wednesday, Macintyre shared his ambitions to defend his title, reflecting last year’s victory.
“To be honest with you, the most special thing that happened in my golf career,” he said. “Yeah, it’s been a year, but I’m trying to do the same this week… I’m here to win the Scotland Open, which means that for me it’s the biggest golf tournament outside of a major championship.
“I won once. But every time I pitch, I want to win again. I want to maintain this trophy every year until I stop playing.”
In July 2024, he became the first Scottish player to lift the Genesis Scotland open trophy during the Rolex Series era, beating Adam Scott with a single shot in his home soil.
That victory concluded a groundbreaking season that solidified his position among European elites as he had already claimed his Maiden PGA Tour title at RBC Canadian Open.
At 28, MacIntyre has won three European tour events and two PGA tour events, ranking 14th in the event of this week.
On this season’s PGA Tour, he recorded four top-10 finishes, eight top-25 finishes and runner-up finishes at the US Open in June.
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The story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on July 9, 2025, and first appeared there.
