NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND – JULY 10: Matt Fitzpatrick of England plays his second shot on the 11th hole on day two of the Genesis Scottish Open 2026 at The Renaissance Club on July 10, 2026 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
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With Wimbledon wrapping up and the World Cup quarterfinals absorbing the spirit of the sporting world, when it comes to the attention-grabbing grass matches this weekend, professional golf has been relegated to the shadows without any good news from the three tournaments.
Across the pond, at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, the Genesis Scottish Open, a co-sanctioned event by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour event that serves as an entertainment episode to next week’s Open Championship is producing plenty of drama.
In the final round before Royal Birkdale, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith and Tom Kim had the lead with Min Woo Lee and Matt Fitzpatrick one stroke back. The Englishman is enjoying a banner year and has a strong record at the Renaissance Club, having finished fourth last year and T6 in 2022.
“I like this place from a confidence standpoint for sure,” Fitzpatrick said after carding a second-round 65 highlighted by consecutive birdies on hole No. 11 to 15. “Somewhere I’ve played well before… I feel like I can take that every time I come. It definitely gives me good confidence.”
The world No. 4 has won three times this season and made the crown in all 16 starts.
“This course, through February so far, is the best golf I’ve played in my career for sure,” he added.
Drinking Evian
Meanwhile, while France is awash with Kylian Mbappé and Les Bleus’ World Cup run, the €9.1 million Amundi Evian Championship is quietly taking place in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Lottie Woad leads the weekend’s major championship at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Japan’s Akie Iwai. Mao Saigo and Haeran Ryu are in the back three, while World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul is very much in contention after returning from an opening 72 with a bogey-free 64 that lifted the Thai star from T69 into the top five.
“I definitely hit better than yesterday,” Thitikul said after his round. “I hit more fairways, I hit more greens, and that gave me more opportunities to make putts.”
“I like the course, the way it looks,” he added. “It’s slanted, but it has room for you to hit it and let it help you take it to the hole or the place you were looking for.”
Back in the country at the ISCO Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, Lucas Glover leads the weekend.
“I’ve been hitting it really well for a couple of weeks. I got a little something Sunday morning in Hartford before I played and took it to Deere and brought it here, and it seems to be clicking,” said Glover, a six-time tour winner.
Max Homa, who came in strong after finishing second in the John Deere Classic and opening with a 67, dropped down the leaderboard after a tough second round. But the fan favorite still managed to provide one of the most memorable stories of the week. Asked if Louisville native Justin Thomas shared any local knowledge, Homa said the conversation moved away from lesson plan.
“I’ve been texting with Justin Thomas, who’s from here, and he’s jealous that we’re here,” Homa said. “I’m laughing because it’s 12,000 degrees and you’re in a short sleeve in Scotland.”
“He told me that if I wanted to go out to the pubs on Sunday, his friends would take me.”
