Rory McIlroy insists his new lighter schedule works best for him, and it certainly seemed that way as he returned to action with a round of 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open.
McIlroy took another two weeks off after the US Open and teed it up at the Renaissance Club on Thursday for just his 12th start of the year, and his 10th PGA Tour sanctioned event.
He's continuing his Major plan by playing just once in between golf's big four, preferring instead to prep for those big ones - for example he skipped the PGA Tour events recently to instead practice at Royal Birkdale ahead of The Open.
And it seems to be working just fine for McIlroy, who carded an eagle and five birdies in his five-under round of 65 in his first outing since Shinnecock Hills - to take an early share of the clubhouse lead when he finished up his 18 holes.
McIlroy said after his opening round in Scotland that his new schedule leaves him "feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life" as this looks like being his new long-term plan for his career.
And it doesn't seem to have any negative impact on his game, as despite playing just four events in 12 weeks he sees no sign of rust.
"I mean, I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the last few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good so it's not like I'm coming in and starting slow," McIlroy told Sky Sports after his 13th straight round in the 60s at the Scottish Open - where he's 47 under par during that span.
"The little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways.
"And one of the other benefits for me, I'm nearly 20 years into this and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible, and playing a lighter schedule definitely does that."
Will McIlroy focus in Europe more in the future?
McIlroy says it feels "liberating" to have achieved his Grand Slam last year, and now after defending his Masters title he needed to adjust his mindset and set new goals for the future.
"I can't get complacent," he added. "I still need to set goals. To me, I've said this a few times this year, I felt like the Grand Slam last year was the destination, and I realised it wasn't. It a continuous journey.
"It's a journey until you decide one day that you want to step off and do something else, but as long as I'm on this journey, there will always be goals to achieve."
STOP IT RORY 😮💨#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/P368i5F3noJuly 9, 2026
McIlroy's journey could well include playing more tournaments on the DP World Tour, as he's enjoyed moving to a new house in London and finds he's keener now to play more around Europe.
"I would say I've ebbed and flowed over the course of my career between wanting to play more in Europe and maybe wanting to play less at times," McIlroy admitted.
"But I think now at this stage of my career, I really enjoy coming back here to play. It reminds me of why I started to play the game in the first place; links golf courses and the crowds are incredible, and the crowds next week at The Open will be amazing, as well.
"I think all of that, I don't want to say reminiscent of when I was growing up, but it's a comfortable environment for me to play in."
