In addition to McIlroy, the emergence on the leaderboard of the likes of Matthew Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland and World No 1, Scottie Scheffler, should’ve been accompanied by the kind of ominous rumbling you’d hear when heavy artillery gets maneuvered into a strategic position.

Rory McIlroy came within a whisker of his second Genesis Scottish Open title, but ultimately finished two strokes behind a surprising winner.