Weekly PGA Preview: Genesis Scottish Open

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

Genesis Scottish Open

The Renaissance Club
North Berwick, Scotland

The PGA Tour heads to Scotland this week for another edition of the Genesis Scottish Open.

A quick nod to David Thompson for picking up a big win at the John Deere Classic this past week and now onto the matter at hand. The Scottish Open takes place this week, and this will be the third consecutive season that this event has been included on the PGA Tour calendar. The inclusion of this event on the PGA Tour calendar has proved to be a great idea as it's increased the strength of this field as well as built the anticipation for the Open Championship. It's not like the Open Championship needed help, but there's something about getting a look at a lot of these guys on a links-style course the week prior to the Open Championship that gets me excited and I'm sure I'm not the only one. While most of the best players in the world will be in attendance this week, not everyone will be here, including Scottie Scheffler, which is a little interesting considering he's yet to win an Open Championship, but perhaps he wants to get an early look at Royal Troon. Whatever the case, we're going to have a group of elite golfers (not named Scheffler) with a feel for the links-style course heading into next week and perhaps that means that Scheffler won't run away with another event, but that's next week, as for this week, we've got a lot of course history to look at as this will be the seventh consecutive year that the Renaissance Club will hold this event. 

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 6:00 PM ET Tuesday.                   

LAST TIME

Rory McIlroy shot a final round 68 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Robert MacIntyre

FAVORITES

Rory McIlroy (15-2) 

With absence of Scheffler in the field, it makes sense that McIlroy is the favorite and he's actually got some playable odds as well. Okay, so anything less than 10-1 is generally a bad idea, but McIlroy has to see this as a great opportunity to win a high-profile event because his main nemesis is not around. McIlroy's track record here is a bit scattered, his win this past year is his only top-10 in three starts on this course, but again, I think he'll see this as a big opportunity and take advantage. 

Xander Schauffele (17-2)

Schauffele won this event in 2022 and he's now got the added confidence of being a major winner, so it makes perfect sense that he's the second favorite. Schauffele's track record here though is a little more consistent than McIlroy's as Schauffele has an additional top-10 and has yet to miss a cut at this event on this course. In case you are worried about a post-major drop-off, that isn't happening, or yet it hasn't happened as Schauffele has three top-15s in three starts since his breakthrough win at the PGA Championship.                                     

Collin Morikawa (16-1)

Though he's yet to win this season, Morikawa's game has been much better than in 2023 and this week he has a chance to eclipse his earnings number from this past year, with still roughly two months to go. That's the good news, the bad news is that his track record at this event is not good. Morikawa has played this event twice and his best finish was a T71 in 2021. Morikawa is likely to improve upon his track record here, but he doesn't appear to have much value as a win option.                                                                          

THE NEXT TIER

Viktor Hovland (22-1)

After an amazing season in 2023, Hovland's 2024 season has been nothing short of a disaster. Expectations were high for Hovland entering the season and he hasn't come close to meeting them, with the exception of his PGA Championship performance where he finished third. It's that performance that gives me a glimmer of hope that he can still salvage this season with some quality play over the next couple weeks. Don't get me wrong, Hovland is a great player, but there's not much more than a hunch that he plays well this week.  

Tom Kim (30-1)

Kim missed the cut in his most recent start, but that's understandable as it came the week after losing in a playoff to Scheffler at the Travelers Championship. Kim was trending the right way before that runner-up finish and even though he missed a cut the following week, I still think he's on the right path to a victory soon. Kim's track record here is stellar as well, with two top-six finishes in two starts.   

Robert MacIntyre (50-1)

MacIntyre nearly won this event this past year and I dare say he enters this year's event with a tad bit more confidence having won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year. MacIntyre's track record here is all over the place, but that's to be expected as he's likely dealing with a lot of pressure each year at his home country's national open.                                          

LONG SHOTS

Brian Harman (60-1)      

As you can see, the line between mid-tier and longshot is a bit blurred this week. Harman struggled early in his career on links-style courses, but he started to turn that around in 2021 when he posted a top-20 at the Open Championship and then followed that up with a T6 the following year at St. Andrews. He followed that up with a dominating performance at Royal Liverpool this past year and now it would seem that he feels extremely comfortable playing in Europe. Whether or not that means anything this week in Scotland, I don't know, but at 60-1, it might be worth a shot.                                                     

Thomas Detry (60-1)     

It's a strong field, but there's still room for a true longshot to win if everything goes right. Detry has had a couple of moments on the PGA Tour this season, including a T4 at the PGA Championship and a runner-up at the Houston Open, so we know the upside is there. He also has a pretty consistent track record at this event, having made the cut in all six tries on this course. His best finish here was a T2 in 2021.                                                          

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Rory McIlroy - This late in the season, it's tough to gauge ownership as the usage of most of the top players has them all but done in most leagues, but with that said, this might be a good opportunity to gain some ground for those that have McIlroy left. Many OAD players that still have McIlroy are likely saving him for next week, but next week Scheffler is back, so why not use him this week when he has a better chance to win?   

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Robert MacIntyre - It's not a huge purse , so many OAD players will be looking for someone a little lower in the rankings and there sits MacIntyre who will be as motivated as anyone in the field. MacIntyre has played well here before, and I would imagine he'll put up a good effort this week as well.                    

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Thomas Detry - This is the time to make a move for those that are trailing in the standings and choosing a guy like MacIntyre likely isn't far enough down the list to make up any real ground, so you have to look for a guy like Detry who should be completely under the radar this week. While under the radar, Detry still has plenty of upside and a knack for at minimum, making the weekend at this event.    

Buyer Beware: Collin Morikawa - Morikawa is one of the favorites, but his track record here is a little concerning. It's not that he's been just okay here, he's been pretty bad. Morikawa has shot 70 or worse in five of his six rounds on this course and while his game appears to be in better shape this week, this might be nothing more than a tune-up for next week for him.

This Week: Brian Harman - As is often the case when you're zigging while others are zagging, you miss some shots, like last week with Shipley. This week I'm again forced to go a little off the beaten path and while I like MacIntyre in this format, I think he'll be somewhat popular, so I'm going to grab Harman in the hopes that he's a bit under the radar.              

Previous Results

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range:  Rory McIlroy ($12,100) 
Middle Range: Robert MacIntyre ($10,400) 
Lower Range:  Matthieu Pavon ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

This Week: Robert MacIntyre - I said I liked Bobby Mac this week and I'll put my money where my mouth is, in this format anyway. MacIntyre has not been perfect when it comes to making the cut at this event, but he's been pretty good at it and I think he'll be really amped up to play well, which should result in a good effort.