Horses for Courses: Former champ Xander Schauffele eyes more Genesis Scottish Open success
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Golfbet Roundtable: Picks and predictions for the Genesis Scottish Open
Written by Mike Glasscott
The Genesis Scottish Open returns to the links of The Renaissance Club (par 70, 7,282 yards) for the seventh consecutive year and boasts a field of 156 players, including five of the previous six champions in North Berwick.
In 2024, Robert MacIntyre (+3000) became the first player to win his national open since Colin Montgomerie last century. The left-hander, who fell one shot short of Rory McIlroy (+850) in 2023, rebounded by posting the tournament scoring record and winning by a shot to the delight of his countrymen. MacIntyre also owns T14 and T18 paydays and signed for 17 rounds in the 60s on the Tom Doak layout. The experience of learning the game in this part of the world is a massive advantage this week, if the wind blows.
A winner of The Open, U.S. Open, RBC Canadian Open, Irish Open and Australian Open, McIlroy added the Genesis Scottish Open to his resume in 2023. In defense in 2024, he racked up four more rounds in the 60s, but his 14-under total was only good enough for T4. Posting 29-under on aggregate the last two seasons without a score above 68, he also owns T34 from 2019 with four more rounds in the 60s (T34). The only blemish on his mark was falling short of the weekend in 2021. His record at The Open, with four top-three paydays among seven top-10 paychecks, suggests he’s fond of golf in this part of the world.
Xander Schauffele (+1800) is the only American winner since the event moved to North Berwick in 2019. Prevailing in the windiest and most difficult setting in 2022, the Californian posted 7-under, the highest winning total at Renaissance which played to a par 72 from 2019-21. It was his second consecutive top-10 result after sharing 10th place in 2021 on debut. After cashing T42 in defense, he returned in 2024 and squared exactly one bogey for the week, shot 12 under and cashed T15. He is the only champion of the six to win with a round above par on the ledger.
Players listed below are competing this week; 2025 ranking
Rank | Player |
1 | Scottie Scheffler |
2 | Collin Morikawa |
5 | Tommy Fleetwood |
7 | Sepp Straka |
10 | Si Woo Kim |
11 | Rory McIlroy |
12 | Daniel Berger |
13 | J.J. Spaun |
14 | Alex Smalley |
17 | Ryan Gerard |
18 | Kevin Yu |
20 | Viktor Hovland |
The six champions have all ranked in the top four in this category. Firm and fast fescue fairways demand control off the tee. Massive, undulating fescue putting surfaces, measuring just over 10 feet on the Stimpmeter, make it challenging to get approach shots close to the hole locations. Only wild shots are punished, and playing from 2 inches of rough off the fairway will enable the elite players to find greens in regulation. The more demanding the conditions, the more the elite players will stand out. The course added 45 yards for the 2025 event and features six of the 10 par-4 holes stretching past 465 yards. Also, The Renaissance Club has three par-5 holes and five par-3 holes to navigate.
Before the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR joined forces, Bernd Wiesberger (+50000) earned the victory in the first edition at The Renaissance Club in 2019. The Austrian set the tournament scoring record, to par, at 22-under 262 when the course played to a par-71. He followed his triumph with T48 in defense and T26 in 2021, his last appearance.
Englishman Aaron Rai (+6500) won the 2020 edition in a playoff over Tommy Fleetwood (+2200) in October when the event was rescheduled due to the global pandemic. Rai earned T35 in defense before falling short of the weekend the following two seasons. The 2024 edition saw the elite ball-striker bounce back into the top five (T4) after closing with rounds of 65 and 63 on Friday and Sunday. Like MacIntyre, he’s never missed a start here. 2021 winner Min Woo Lee is not in the field.
Genesis Scottish Open notables
- The field of 156 players includes eight of the top 10 and 24 of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings.
- All six champions at The Renaissance Club are from different countries (Scotland, Northern Ireland, USA, Australia, England and Austria).
- All six champions here had previously won a professional (DP World Tour or PGA TOUR) event.
- The course record of 61 has been posted by three players in the field this week including Richard Mansell (Round 4, 2024) and Byeong Hun An (Round 1, 2023).
- There are no multiple champions at this track.
- The top 65 players and ties will qualify for the weekend.
- The top three players who make the cut who are not already qualified for The Open will receive an exemption at Royal Portrush next week.
Oddsmaker’s extras
Adam Scott (+5500): His 2023 debut resulted in 72-67 MC, but his return for 2024 included four rounds of 67 or better, taking his streak to five straight, and a runner-up finish. The Australian circled 27 birdies, the most in the field.
Tommy Fleetwood (+2200): Making his sixth consecutive start, the Englishman owns three paydays of T6 or better, and all five results are T34 or better. The runner-up in 2020 cashed T4 in 2022 and T6 in 2023 and owns a round of 63 on the links.
Scottie Scheffler (+360): The favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook earned T12 on debut in 2021, which included a second-round 63, and followed by missing out on the weekend in 2022. Posting three rounds of 68 or better in 2023 on his ultimate visit, he stalled out with 70 in the final round to share third place.
Collin Morikawa (+2500): The 2021 Open Champion at Royal St. George’s produced his best result from three visits with T4 in 2024. All four rounds were in the 60s, including three at 66 or better.
Ludvig Åberg (+3000): The leader after Rounds 2 and 3 in 2024 shot 73 on Sunday and cashed T4 after missing the weekend on debut in 2023.
Justin Thomas (+3500): The American opened with 62 in 2024, his fifth round of 65 or better at The Renaissance Club. Earning T9 and T8 in his first two visits in 2019 and 2021, he has not cracked the top 60, even with a 62, in his last three trips across the pond. High risk, high reward.
Tom Kim (+8000): The Korean owns three finishes of T15 or better in three visits, including solo third on debut in 2022 and T6 in 2023.
Romain Langasque (+30000): The Frenchman posted 20-under in 2019 for solo third and 15-under in 2024 for solo third. Falling short of the weekend just once in five tries, he also owns results of T25 and T44 and is on a streak of 12 straight 70s or better. Everyone needs a long shot!
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