The Scottish Open has become one of the big events on the golf schedule ever since it became a partner event between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, as the best players from both tours come together for a chance to play some links golf in preparation for the Open Championship a week later.

Rory McIlroy tidies up for a birdie and moves back to level par.

With a victory this week, MacIntyre will become the first player to win back-to-back Scottish Opens.

McIlroy said he could hear the excitement in the voices of friends talking about his Masters win. And there’s the anticipation of two weeks of a different brand of golf, the Scottish Open that starts Thursday and then the British Open at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland.

To find it this week, McIlroy will have to contend with a field more loaded than previous iterations of the Scottish Open.