Rory McIlroy left the Scottish Open without a trophy but lifted by a sense that his best golf has returned at precisely the right time.
With the Open beginning at Portrush on Thursday, and in consideration of his difficulties since winning the Masters, a second-place finish behind Chris Gotterup was the sort of near-miss he would have gladly signed up for at the start of the week.
The margin of defeat at the Renaissance Club was two strokes, which can be attributed to a cold putter on McIlroy’s part and some quite exceptional golf from the man who beat him.
Ranked as the world No 158, and therefore 156 spots beneath the Northern Irishman, Gotterup has been at the top since setting the course record on Friday and did not blink when paired with McIlroy for the last loop. He outshot the five-time major winner by 66 to 68 to reach 15 under par and in the process sealed his qualification for the Open.
There will likely be a sting attached to that for McIlroy, but in light of his performances across the majority of the past three months, he will be highly satisfied to take such form across the Irish Sea. That two-week break at his new home in Wentworth, prior to flying to Scotland, appears to have served a purpose in rejuvenating the mind and swing of the 36-year-old.
He said: ‘It’s been a great week. I’m really happy with where my game is and the way I played over the weekend. It has been a great week. Missing the trophy, that’s about it.
Rory McIlroy finished second, two shots behind Chris Gotterup, at Sunday’s Scottish Open
Despite not walking away with a trophy, McIlroy insisted he is ‘happy’ with where his game is
The 36-year-old earned a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Open at Portrush on Thursday, especially after some inconsistent months following his Masters win in April
‘There is no frustration, really. I’m happy with where everything is. Looking forward to getting to Portrush tonight and getting out on to the golf course early tomorrow and just turning my attention to that. But I feel like I’ve gotten out of this week everything, really, that I wanted.
‘I feel like my game got a little better each and every day. Iron play was great. I feel like I did enough good things off the tee. Everything is in a really good spot and I’m happy with how my game progressed as the week went on.’
The glitch in McIlroy’s game on a blustery Sunday concerned his putter, which had actually been his strongest club all week. Having started in a share of the lead with Gotterup on 11 under, McIlroy played the first eight holes in three under to move top outright, but failed to birdie any of the next 10.
The low point was a missed four-footer for birdie on the par-three 12, which the American played in two and pulled a couple of strokes clear. The rest of McIlroy’s game was reasonably tight – his iron play was excellent and the misses off his driver were not as destructive as they have been in recent months.
His assessment on Saturday that he is ‘close’ to the level with which he won at Augusta felt like something of an exaggeration, but it is also true that he has stepped up a couple levels since the US Open. Mentally as much as anything technical.
Horsham’s Marco Penge shared second with McIlroy after a closing 66, and Matt Fitzpatrick continued his recovery from a poor 2024 by tying for fourth. A superb 63 launched Justin Rose through the back door to a top-six finish – he can be sensibly tipped to do well at Portrush – and Scottie Scheffler also claimed a top-10.
The world No 1 is getting noticeably better at handling the quirks of links golf, where a good shot is not always rewarded with a fair outcome, but will be in the rare position of starting beneath others in the betting in Northern Ireland. Ludvig Aberg and defending Open champion Xander Schauffele joined him at nine under.