Rory McIlroy entered this week’s Genesis Scottish Open looking to regain form ahead of The Open. He did that, and nearly walked away with the winner’s check.

Alas, McIlroy could not finish the job at the Genesis Scottish Open, ending two shots behind champion Chris Gotterup. The Northern Irishman was seeking his 30th PGA Tour victory, a goal he’ll have to postpone for at least another week.

McIlroy got off to a strong start in the final round, carding three birdies and a bogey on the front nine. But on the back nine, he lacked the final push and carded nine consecutive pars to finish tied for second with Marco Penge.

The five-time major winner had posted scores of 68 and 65 in the first two rounds, while his third-round 66 allowed him to tie Gotterup for first place after 54 holes.

It’s McIlroy’s seventh top-10 finish of the season, including three wins. However, his performance at The Renaissance is the first time he’s been seriously in contention for a title since winning the Masters Tournament last April.

This is also McIlroy’s third top-10 finish in as many starts at the Scottish Open. He previously finished champion in 2023 and fourth in 2025. He did so while rocking a new hairstyle, with turned people’s heads all week.

After this performance in his return to the links, McIlroy will definitely be among the top favorites to win the Open Championship next week.

The 29-time PGA Tour winner has finished in the top 10 in two of the last five editions of the Open. However, he missed the cut in 2019, when the event was played at Royal Portrush, the same venue that will host it in 2025.

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