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 losing it to the new PGA Tour’s upcoming two-track schedule. Scottie Scheffler, who has built a history at the Renaissance Club, appears to feel much the same way.

Scheffler had arrived at the Renaissance Club ahead of this week’s tournament to answer questions. 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.

“It’s hard to tell. One of the things that’s important in our new schedule is getting the same; 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. But does it, like, need to change?

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“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, I think. Like you see, the field is great. I think 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.

The World No. 1, for one, is clear that the tournament 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 praises the course and credits 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 course overall. 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 conversations remain under discussion while the Tour pros get ready to tee up for the final major of the year.