£6.3m backing boost for Genesis Scottish Open from Scottish Government

The package, which covers the DP World Tour event up to 2028, was announced as Business Minister Richard Lochhead visited The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, where both Rory McIlroy and Bob MacIntyre have landed the coveted title in recent years.

The 2024 edition, won by MacIntyre as he became the first home player to claim the title since Colin Montgomrie in 1999, attracted a record crowd at the time of nearly 90,000, with independent analysis estimating that it generated £19.2m for the economy, supporting 234 jobs.

“It is fantastic that the Genesis Scottish Open is clearly one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar in Europe and here we are celebrating the fact that we are going to be funding another phase of the tournament in East Lothian,” Lochhead, soeaking as he joined tournament director Rory Colville and Rob Dickson, VisitScotland’s Director of Industry and Events on Scotland’s Golf Coast, told The Scotsman.

“It just cements the place as a golf destination and also a host of these prestigious tournaments and, clearly from a Scottish Government perspective, it’s not only about putting Scotland on a world stage for sport and golf is clearly our claim to fame but also the social and economic benefits that brings for local communities here in East Lothian but a wider area as well.

“The success of attracting these events to Scotland - today’s announcement and also with The Open returning to St Andrews next year - just illustrates the role golf plays in Scotland’s business economy.”

Support hailed as ‘incredibly important’

The Renaissance Club has staged the Genesis Scottish Open since 2019 and, from 2022 onwards it has been part of both the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour through a co-sanctioning agreement.

“The support of the Scottish Government and VisitScotland is incredibly important to the Genesis Scottish Open,” admitted Colville, who is expecting another world-class field to assemble for this year’s $9 million Rolex Series tournament on 9-12 July.

“The eyes of the golfing world – and beyond – are on Scotland each summer as some of the biggest stars of the game gather in the home of golf and we are passionate about working with our partners to provide a warm welcome to everyone who joins us at the Renaissance Club, showcasing Scotland as a sporting destination to those watching from around the world.”

Career grand slam winner McIlroy and defending champion Gotterup have already been confirmed for the 2026 edition, with MacIntyre once again set to spearhead the home challenge.

“It is also an exciting chapter for Scottish golf to have the likes of Bob MacIntyre up there with the best in the top ten in the world,” observed Lochhead of the Oban man. “It is clearly an exciting time for golf and Scotland as a whole as we want to see Scottish players up there and hopefully bring even more success.”

The golf world is waiting to hear from The R&A about a venue for The Open in 2028, with both Muirfield and Turnberry having been mentioned as possibilities. Muirfield last staged the Claret Jug event in 2013 while 2009 was the most recent edition at Turnberry.

‘Scotland clearly has the best golf courses in the world’

“Well, clearly The R&A have much more of an influence over that than the Scottish Government,” said Lochhead in reply to being asked about that. “But our role is to do our best to attract as many sporting events to Scotland as we can. Who knows what the future holds, but Scotland clearly has the best golf courses in the world, so it would be no surprise to see more major tournaments being held here in the future.”

Other major sporting events the Scottish Government is supporting include the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the 2027 Tour de France Grand Depart, UEFA Euro 28 and the World Rally Championship.