Race for U.S. Team Heats Up as Rory Wins in Scotland

Rory McIlroy has all the momentum heading into The Open Championship at a venue near and dear to his heart.

In dramatic fashion, the Northern Irishman won the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday, finishing at 15 under, one stroke ahead of native Scot Robert MacIntyre. McIlroy becomes the first player to win the Scottish and Irish Opens, along with The Open, which he claimed in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, the site of this year’s final major.

“Such a tough day — so tough,” McIlroy said after a final-round 68 at the Renaissance Club. “To play that back nine in 4 under par to win the tournament, I’m really proud of how I stuck in there. I hit some amazing shots down the stretch. It feels incredible. It’s been a long six months, I feel, since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tons of chances, and hopefully, this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week.”

It appeared MacIntyre, who finished before McIlroy, was going to win his country’s national open after a heroic shot on his 72nd hole, hammering a 3-wood from the rough to 4 feet for a final-round 64.

Crediti foto: Getty Images

“I've dreamed of winning (the Scottish Open) since I watched at home,” MacIntyre said, “and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one.”

McIlroy, though, tied the lead with a birdie on No. 17 and then flighted a 2-iron to 10 feet on the last en route to a second consecutive birdie that claimed him the title.

“Probably the best shot I hit all year,” he said.

The 34-year-old McIlroy will almost surely headline the European squad later this year at the Ryder Cup in Rome, Italy. And though MacIntyre didn’t emerge victorious, the 26-year-old vastly improved his case for making the team at Marco Simone, the site of his 2022 Italian Open win, jumping into the final automatic qualification spot on the European Points List.

“(MacIntyre) had the win in Rome last year, and then he went off a little bit,” McIlroy said, “but it’s nice to see him back at an important point of the year when he’s looking to try to make that Ryder Cup.”

However, on the American side, few players improved their position on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list at the Renaissance Club.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was the top-performing American in the field, finishing T-3. Having not placed outside the top 5 since April's RBC Heritage, Scheffller remains first in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings by a large margin.

Crediti foto: Getty Images

J.T. Poston, meanwhile, recorded his second T-6 in as many weeks and moved up six spots to 43rd. Plus, Tom Hoge jumped one spot to 24th with a T-19, Davis Riley went from 28th to 27th by finishing T-35 and Gary Woodland slid from 31st to 29th after placing T-25.

But one week from now, the U.S. standings could look completely different following The Open, with more Ryder Cup points up for grabs in the year’s final major, where 155 players hope to join McIlroy as one of Royal Liverpool’s Open Champions.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.