The Genesis Scottish Open is more than just a tune-up event. It’s a national open, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and sits at a pivotal point in the calendar heading into the final major of the year. This week, the event became part of a bigger conversation: where will it fit once the PGA Tour’s new structure kicks in? Tour pros like Rory McIlroy are worried about its future and have raised concerns about its place in the PGA Tour’s upcoming two-track schedule. Scottie Scheffler, who has been crafting his own legacy at the tournament, appears to feel much the same way.

When reporters asked him how the Scottish Open fits into the PGA Tour’s two-tier structure and whether the event itself needs to change, the World No. 1 said he believes not everything needs a revamp of the new structure. “I wouldn’t say it needs to change, no. I think it needs to work within the new schedule that they are setting up. This is a tournament; like you see, the field is great. It’s an important one that we keep in the Championship Series just because you get so many guys that come over here and play the week before.”

As per the PGA Tour’s announcement, starting in 2028, it will split into two tiers: a top-level Championship Series and a second Challenger Series. Further, a formal promotion and relegation system will be developed around meritocracy and consistent head-to-head competition. The full eligibility rules, which include the classification of co-sanctioned events such as the Scottish Open, will not be finalized until 2027. The gap has left many Tour players in a dilemma, as they are guessing which bracket their favorite stop falls into. But more importantly, it has caused uncertainty about the national opens for two reasons.

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Firstly, historic tournaments like the Canadian Open and Scottish Open can’t be considered tier two events. That’ll diminish the stature. Secondly, if the national opens are put in the Championship Series, which will be tier one, the field can’t be limited to 120 players. That’s a key reason why Rory McIlroy said if the PGA Tour imposes field restrictions on these tournaments, these can’t be called “open.” Scheffler echoed a similar thought but also added another point

“One of the things that’s important in our new schedule is getting the same [players at the tournament]. Golf is so difficult to rank players when they are not playing together all the time. That was something we ran into a lot during junior golf and amateur golf: it’s very tough to rank who played better when you are not playing against each other each week,” the World No. 1 shared, explaining the need to have the best players in the field.

Scottie Scheffler, for one, is clear that the Scottish Open does not need a revamp. He points instead to the strength of the year’s field, which includes 14 of the top 20 players in the world. It’s reason enough to keep the Scottish Open in the top tier once the new system takes hold. For him, the appeal also goes beyond the leaderboard—the course itself and the event’s people matter.

He further reasons that the Renaissance Club is a pivotal step to prepare for the Open Championship, as he praised the course and credited the people who run the event for taking care of players every year.

This year, Scheffler is also chasing his first Scottish Open title, but the bigger prize awaits him next week at Royal Birkdale. He said he is ready to fight to defend the Claret Jug, which he won in 2025.

Scheffler’s record at the course backs up his feelings for the place: T3 in 2023, his best finish, and T8 in 2025. He’s making his fifth start at the tournament. He withdrew from the tournament in 2024 and missed the cut in 2022.

McIlroy has also expressed his love and concern for the Scottish Open. He has urged the PGA Tour to be careful with the Scottish Open’s future when introducing its two-tier format in 2028.

“We’ve got to be careful with that because then these national opens lose the fabric of what they are,” McIlroy said while speaking to the media at Renaissance Club on Wednesday.

“I don’t know how that fits into the Track 1 and Track 2 and all that stuff, but I see this event, and I see how well it’s done over these past few years, and I definitely I feel like it’s the blueprint for a lot of the other national opens.”

For now, the matter remains under discussion while the Tour pros get ready to gear up for the final tune-up before the Open Championship.