The Genesis Scottish Open heads into Friday’s second round with a leaderboard full of new names and stars alike as the DP World Tour collides with the PGA TOUR for this annual co-sanctioned event. With conditions mild to begin the week in Golf Country, Thursday at The Renaissance Club featured some big names making steps in the right direction to begin their two-week stretch in links land.

Europeans have held the recent advantage at the Genesis Scottish Open, with Robert MacIntyre and Rory McIlroy taking home the latest hardware. A plethora of international names crowd the top of the leaderboard Thursday, with some flashy Americans like Jake Knapp showing some early mettle.

With one round in the books, now is the opportune time to place your wager on a winner. As the old adage goes: You can’t win the tournament on Thursday, but you can lose it. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Scottie Scheffler as the +400 favorite (shocking, I know), followed by a pack of contenders, but our eyes are on two boom-or-bust threats and one fade in particular.

Let’s take a look at the odds.

Updated odds to win the Genesis Scottish Open (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

• Scottie Scheffler +400
• Sepp Straka +900
• Victor Perez +1400
• Rory McIlroy +1400
• Jake Knapp +1400
• Viktor Hovland +1800
• Ludvig Åberg +2500
• Nico Echavarria +2500
• Xander Schauffele +2500
• Wyndham Clark +3000
• Ryan Fox +3000
• Marco Penge +3000
• Tom Kim +3300
• Sam Burns +3300
• Collin Morikawa +3500
• Robert MacIntyre +4000

Draws

Viktor Hovland (+1800)

A bogey-free 66 in unfamiliar links conditions? That’ll play.

Hovland has been one of the most mercurial players on TOUR this season. After a 2024 spent searching led to a slow start in 2025, Hovland suddenly shapeshifted back into form to win the Valspar Championship back in March. Since then, Hovland has only finished outside the top 30 twice (T54, Truist Championship, WD, Travelers Championship) with a high point being his solo third place at the U.S. Open.

The Norwegian was his trademark level of clinical in Round 1. He ranked top-25 in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Approach and looked entirely in control throughout the bag. His short game, often his weak link, didn’t need to be tested much, which is always a good sign. Hovland’s ceiling is well established, and when he starts fast, he tends to stay in the mix.

With only two shots separating him from the current lead, and his confidence clearly trending upward, this is exactly the kind of performance that suggests another Hovland heater might be incoming. At +1800, there’s still value before the market potentially shortens after Friday.

Xander Schauffele (+2500)

The 2022 Genesis Scottish Open champion showed why he’s always dangerous in these conditions.

Schauffele opened with a 2-under 68, a round that featured just about everything: A soaring eagle on the par-5 third, three frustrating bogeys and elite tee-to-green numbers. He ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and was striking the ball with the kind of command that we haven’t seen often since his return from injury.

The concern, as it has been for much of this year, is consistency. Schauffele has been brilliant in moments this season as the two-time major winner builds back his confidence, but has struggled to string together four clean rounds. Still, his familiarity with The Renaissance Club and a strong Round 1 ball-striking profile give him plenty of upside, especially at +2500, which is longer than we usually see for a proven winner in this spot.

If the confidence continues to build and he can clean up the mistakes, Schauffele could be a sleeping giant heading into the weekend, and potentially Royal Portrush.

Fade

Nico Echavarria (+2500)

Echavarria has flirted with leaderboards all season. That trend continued on Thursday, but bettors should know better by now.

While the Colombian has posted some eye-catching early rounds this year, the closing chapters often disappoint. He currently ranks 155th out of 170 players on TOUR in final-round scoring average, a damning stat that underlines his inability to finish what he starts.

At +2500, Echavarria is being priced like a legitimate contender, but his profile doesn’t match the number. For all the work he’s done on Thursday and Friday this season, he owns only two top-10 finishes across 18 starts and has faded out of contention multiple times. Until he proves he can stay in the fight through the weekend, he remains a name to fade, especially in a field this deep and a course this demanding.