We are just one week away from the British Open, but the fun is already starting across the pond. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have teamed up to put on a co-sanctioned event in Scotland – the Genesis Scottish Open. The result is a tournament that sees several best players in the world making an appearance at The Renaissance this week to warm up for next week’s Major Championship.
The Rennaisance Club plays host to The Scottish Open
Despite being a Links Course, there will be plenty of opportunities for scoring at The Rennaisance.
Xander Schauffele won last year’s event ahead of Kurt Kitayama, while other previous winners include Min Woo Lee and Aaron Rai, who beat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff in 2020. With Links Golf providing all the thrills and spills one would expect, it’s no surprise that 3 of the last 4 iterations of the Scottish Open have been decided in a playoff.
The Scottish Open Odds
| Scottie Scheffler | +600 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1400 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1600 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +1600 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1800 |
| Rickie Fowler | +2000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +2200 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +2500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
DraftKings Sportsbook currently has Scottie Scheffler as the favorite (+600). While he hasn’t been at the forefront of every event, Scheffler somehow always seems to find his way into the mix on Sunday. In fact, his ‘worst’ result of the entire year so far has been 12th place at the Genesis Invitational. If that doesn’t tell you just how great this man is, I don’t know what will. The putter has let Scottie down this year, but a resurgent round in Scotland could be all he needs.
Speaking of resurgence, Rickie Fowler’s first PGA Tour win since 2019 came just a couple of weeks ago at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Since reuniting with coach Butch Harmon, Fowler has been back to his very best and consistently in the running for a win. Could we see another tour victory this weekend?
If you’re looking for a homefield advantage, Tommy Fleetwood and 2022 U.S Open Champ, Matt Fitzpatrick are both priced in the +2000 range. Fleetwood was a runner up here just a couple of years ago, just as he was in a playoff at the Canadian Open where he fell just short of the mark. He has been playing some astounding Golf recently and this course should suit his scrambling prowess.
Tyrrell Hatton is another Englishman worth looking at. He really seems to find comfort at this venue, with a trio of top-10’s at the Genesis Scottish Open to his name. He frequents the DP World Tour and there is a good chance that he will be more confident around a course like this. Hatton has also been in great form as of late and was right up there with Fleetwood at the RBC Canadian Open. This could be the perfect venue to climb to a win.
The Field
if there’s ever a player worth constantly going back to when he’s not cashing, it’s Adam Scott (+4500). The Wiley veteran has a hat-trick of top 5’s at the Genesis Scottish Open to his name and is a player who typically thrives on links courses. His putter can either be his best friend or worst enemy, but the precision Scott has on Links courses cannot be ignored, and he’s endured his fair share of collapses at these courses which will provide invaluable experience that others may not have gone through.
There are also a few other DP World Tour Stalwarts to keep an eye on. Thomas Detry has enjoyed a strong maiden season on tour and comes into this event at +11000, the same as both Nicholaj/Rasmus Hojgaard and Seamus Power. These players have all strutted their stuff on European soil over the last few years, and Power in particular enjoyed a brilliant weekend last time out at the John Deere Classic. Any one of these players could be worth a punt at such high odds.
Wildcard pick for the Scottish Open
If you fancy a real lotto ticket play, look no further than Justin Rose (+4000). He has enjoyed 5 top-10’s in his last 18 events and had a top 5 at the Genesis Scottish Open last year and made the cut in the year prior. He should be well-positioned to play well once again.
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
