​A record-breaking crowd turned out for this past week’s Genesis Scottish Open, where South Korea’s Tom Kim shed tears of joy and relief upon claiming his first title since 2023.Organizers of the event, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, had predicted strong demand following a record turnout in 2025 and have now confirmed the latest milestone in the long history of the Scottish Open.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA total of 8,862 turned up to watch the Pro-Am on Wednesday and the Thursday attendance was 17,298. Day two saw the crowd increase to 17,958.Min Woo Lee of Australia interacts with fans on the first hole on day four of the Genesis Scottish Open 2026 at The Renaissance Club on July 12, 2026 in North Berwick, Scotland.Spectator numbers jumped to 23,478 on Saturday, when play was suspended and later cut short by a thick fug of east coast haar.Sunday provided the top figure with 23,532 watching the action on the par-70 links course at the Renaissance Club near North Berwick, taking the weekly total to 91,128. That was up from 88,735 in 2025.The modern Scottish Open began in 1972 as the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open at Downfield before moving to the Old Course at St Andrews in 1973. TV and sponsorship issues then saw it disappear from 1974 to 1985.Robert MacIntyre of Scotland plays his second shot on the second hole on day four of the Genesis Scottish Open 2026 at The Renaissance Club on July 12, 2026 in North Berwick, Scotland.The competition returned in 1986 when the Glasgow Open was rebranded under new Bell’s sponsorship, first at Haggs Castle and then at Gleneagles from 1987, where it settled into the week before the Open Championship.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrom the mid‑1990s, the event became closely associated with Loch Lomond, with the Loch Lomond World Invitational taking on Scottish Open status from 2001 and that change was later applied retrospectively to earlier editions at the venue. Financial pressures and criticism of a parkland Open warm‑up led to a move back to true links from 2011, with venues including Castle Stuart, Royal Aberdeen, Gullane and Dundonald.The Scottish Open was elevated to Rolex Series status in 2017, bringing a significantly enhanced purse and field and formal recognition as one of the European Tour’s premier events. In 2022, it became co‑sanctioned by the PGA and DP World tours and took on Genesis title sponsorship, and has been held at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian since 2019.This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Genesis Scottish Open draws record breaking crowds