Rory McIlroy’s 13-Run Streak at Scottish Open Has Him Primed for a Clash at The Open

The Genesis Scottish Open is only one round old, and Rory McIlroy is already doing the thing he does best: making the whole thing look annoyingly easy.

He shot a 65 on Thursday. That ties him with three other players at the top of the leaderboard. But the number that matters more might be this: it’s the 13th straight time McIlroy has gone under par at this event. Thirteen in a row. That’s not a hot streak. That’s a residency.

He started on the back nine and made birdies at 12, 14, and 16. He also dropped shots at 10 and 18, because apparently he’s still human. Then he flipped a switch on the front nine. Eagle on the par-5 1st. Birdies on 7 and 8. A 31 on the front. Two bogeys total, and without one of them he’d be alone in first.

And then there was the bunker shot on 9, his last hole. The kind of spin that makes you wonder if he’s playing a different sport. The ball landed soft, checked hard, and settled close enough to tap in for par. The PGA Tour’s social media team called him a wizard. Hard to argue.

McIlroy’s last 13 rounds at the Scottish Open read like a typo: 65, 68, 65, 66, 68, 65, 66, 67, 68, 64, 66, 67, 68. The 64 came three years ago when he won the whole thing. That’s the kind of consistency that wins majors.

What This Means for The Open

The Open Championship is next week. Scottie Scheffler won it last year, and he’s playing this week too, still finishing his first round as of Thursday evening. McIlroy versus Scheffler on a Sunday at a major? That’s the kind of matchup people remember for decades.

McIlroy’s form has been sharp for a while now. He’s got the control off the tee, the iron play, and the short-game touch that travels well across the Atlantic. The Scottish Open is basically a dress rehearsal for the real thing, and he’s treating it like a full performance.

Chris Gotterup is the defending champion here, coming off a win at the John Deere Classic. But the field is stacked, and McIlroy is already off and running. If he keeps this up, he could walk away with both the Scottish and a Claret Jug in the same week.