Sun is shining and so are the homegrown stars as Scottish Open sees some sizzling play in a blistering opening round at The Renaissance

For a young man who holds a degree in accounting, the numbers added up quite nicely for Calum Hill in the first round of the Genesis Scottish Open.

Hill opened with a flawless round of 65 at The Renaissance, with five birdies putting him on five-under par, just a shot off the lead after the first day’s play in East Lothian.

It was an excellent way for the 30-year-old Scot to start his home event, putting his stablemate Bob MacIntyre in the shade amid some scorching sunshine.

Hill and MacIntyre are part of the same Bounce Sports Management group, but it was the Fifer who outshone his more esteemed colleague and defending champion.

Not that MacIntyre played poorly. Far from it, indeed. An opening round of 68 represented a solid start to his title defence.

But it was Hill who led the way for the home contingent - and he revealed that he was under strict orders from wife Miranda to keep calm and carry on in an event where his temperament has often beaten him in the past.

When asked if he had over-hyped this event in previous years, Hill replied: ‘I would say there’s a chance that you might be correct with that. It’s my favourite event of the year and you just want to do so well.

‘My wife has kicked me for the last few months just to say that this is just another event, and you just go and enjoy it more.

‘Because I think I used to be a bit more on edge, so if anything went quite off-keel, I was quick to become frustrated and disappointed.

‘So, yeah, I’m just trying to take it a little bit easier on myself, I would say, and then obviously good golf helps with that.

‘I don’t mind the extra focus being on me. I generally play better when people are watching. I think it’s just self-influence. You just want to do as well as you can in your home event in the Scottish Open.

‘It’s the best event we play all year for myself, and I’m sure the other Scots will say the same thing, especially when it’s getting so big now. It’s such a big tournament. A good week goes a long way.’

Hill is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, the most recent of which came at the Joburg Open back in March earlier this year.

He knows that a strong finish this week would see him secure a place in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

‘Every single year, I finish on a Sunday feeling disappointed I didn’t get into The Open because you’re trying to get a last spot, and then I never fly,’ he added.

‘I will be playing golf next week come what may. Either in America at the Barracuda Championship or at The Open. I’ve booked flights to America, but they are refundable. I would love to be playing at Portrush.’

MacIntyre was playing early in the morning alongside World No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Adam Scott, with huge galleries following them around.

Coming in as defending champion, MacIntyre had spoken before the tournament about how he wouldn’t give up his title without a fight after a stunning win here 12 months ago.

Sitting on two-under, he is nicely poised - but MacIntyre spoke afterwards of how he had to battle past the red mist after a three-putt on his 13th hole led to a bogey.

‘The mental side of the game is something I work hard on,’ said MacIntyre. ‘There are still times when the lid can come off, don’t worry about that.

‘But it doesn’t happen as often as it used to. I’ve got a level of performance I now expect to achieve every time I go out there. Overall, I felt like it was a solid day’s work.’

This was a day where ice cream and sunscreen became essential supplies as the crowds revelled in glorious sunshine.

The scoring was equally as hot, with four players holding a share of the lead on six-under par: Nico Echavarria of Colombia, Victor Perez of France, Austrian Ryder Cup star Sepp Straka, and American Jake Knapp.

‘I really struggled when I came here last year,’ said Echavarria. ‘I couldn’t sleep at all last year because of the time difference and the jetlag.

‘I was waking up in the middle of the night and walking around. This year has been much better. I’ve managed to adjust and the place I’m staying in North Berwick is great.’

Given the favourable scoring conditions, it was no surprise that the leaderboard was so tightly packed after the opening day’s play.

It was a more testing day, however, for Rory McIlroy. On his first appearance in Europe since winning the career Grand Slam at The Masters in April, McIlroy initially struggled to generate any momentum.

Playing later in the afternoon, the tone seemed to be set for McIlroy’s round when he started with a bogey on his opening hole.

There were some flashes of brilliance, such as his tee shot on the short par-three sixth. Hitting only a wedge, McIlroy’s ball came to rest just three feet from the hole to set up an easy birdie.

But there were also moments of toil. After his tee shot found a bunker on the 15th, McIlroy failed to get out of the sand with his second shot and his ball rolled back into a footprint.

He eventually scrambled to drop only one shot, holing a putt from off the green when it looked like he might be staring down the barrel of a double bogey.

That proved to be the catalyst for an excellent finish, with McIlroy reeling off three straight birdies on his final three holes, turning a poor day into a much sharper-looking 68.

In terms of the other Scots in the field, Ewen Ferguson was going well in the afternoon and had climbed to four-under at one point, before dropping a couple of shots over the last four holes.

Grant Forrest finished on three-under, Connor Syme shot two-under, with Richie Ramsay a little further back on level par.