Chris Gotterup has tied the course record at The Renaissance Club with a 61. That gives him a two-shot lead over Harry Hall of England going into the weekend at the Scottish Open.

The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, is the stage once again. The 7,282-yard, par-70, Tom Doak-design opened in 2001 and ranks 10th on the Golfweek's Best 2025: The top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland list.

SportsLine golf expert Eric Cohen just locked in his PGA Tour best bets for the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club

Gotterup was giddy to see it. Rained out when he tried to play it ahead of last year’s Genesis Scottish Open, the American was intent on squeezing in a little bit more links golf. It’s why he didn’t hesitate to make the long trip over to Scotland, despite not having a spot in The Open Championship next week.

There were 16 golfers who made the cut on the number at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open but several big names who won't play the weekend.

Viktor Hovland carded one of the few clean cards in the first round of the Scottish Open, but he doesn't want anyone to think The Renaissance is easy.

Sepp Straka had eight birdies in his round of 64, also joined by Nico Echavarria and Victor Perez atop the leaderboard alongside Knapp. Four other players were one shot behind, while Scottie Scheffler had to settle for a 67 and was three back.

Rory McIlroy was the star attraction at the Scottish Open on Friday morning as he, Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland were followed around the Renaissance Club by thousands of fans