2024 Genesis Scottish Open Preview & Picks

Davis Thompson secured his first PGA TOUR title by winning the John Deere Classic. Although we didn’t back him for the second consecutive week, we still turned a profit with Luke Clanton finishing in the Top 20 (+175), Ben Griffin in the Top 20 (+188), and Andrew Novak in the Top 40 (+120).

Now, the PGA TOUR heads to The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, for the Genesis Scottish Open.

The Genesis Scottish Open marks the 31st event of the FedExCup Regular Season, with only four weeks remaining until the start of the FedExCup Playoffs. This is the third consecutive year that the Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance between both tours.

Pre-Tournament Storylines

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy will return to defend his title at the Genesis Scottish Open, marking his first PGA TOUR appearance since narrowly missing out at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. McIlroy claimed victory at last year’s Genesis Scottish Open in his debut at The Renaissance Club.

Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele aims to continue his impressive 2024 season as he heads across the pond. Schauffele has achieved 11 top-10 finishes in 16 events this year, including a win at the PGA Championship. He has also secured five consecutive top-15 finishes on the PGA TOUR and won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open.

Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris is set to compete after withdrawing from the Rocket Mortgage Classic due to a hip injury.

DPWT

With the Genesis Scottish Open co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, approximately 75 DP World Tour pros will be participating this week, including Rasmus Højgaard (along with his brother Nicolai) and Alex Fitzpatrick (along with his brother Matt).

Tournament Information:

• Dates: July 11th, 2024 – July 24th, 2024
• Location: North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom
• Course: The Renaissance Club
• Course Type: Ocean Links
• Par: 70 (5x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 3x 5’s)
• Length: 7,237 yards (Average)
• Format: 72-hole stroke play
• Greens: Fescue
• Fairways: Fescue
• Rough: Fescue 3″ – 5″
• Bunkers: 83
• Water Hazard(s): 0 (In-Play on 0 Holes)
• Average Green Size: 7,000 sq. ft. (Small)
• Stimpmeter: 10.0 ft.
• Purse/ Winner: $9,000,000 /$1,620,000
• FedEx Cup Points: 500
• Field: 156 Players
• Cut: Top 65 and Ties – 36 Holes
• Playoff Format: Sudden-death format, with playoff holes being 18 played repeatedly
• Historic Cut Line:
  • 2023: -2
  • 2022: +3
  • 2021: -2

Course Architect:

• Course Architect: Tom Doak (2008)
• Recent Renovations: N/A

Comparable Courses & Greens:

• Comparable Courses:
  • St. Andrews (Old Course) – The 2022 Open Championship – RESULTS
  • Royal St. George’s – The 2021 Open Championship – RESULTS
  • Royal Portrush – The 2019 Open Championship – RESULTS
  • Royal Birkdale – The 2017 Open Championship – RESULTS

• Designer Link (Tom Doak (2008)):
  • Memorial Park Golf Course – Tom Doak Renovation (2019) – Cadence Bank Houston Open
  • St. George’s Golf and Country Club – Tom Doak Renovation (2014) – 2022 Canadian Open

• Comparable Location (North Berwick, Scotland):
  • St. Andrews (Old Course) – St Andrews, Scotland – The 2022 Open

• Comparable Yardage (7,237 Yards):
  • TPC Southwind – 7,243 Yards – FedEx St. Jude Championship
  • TPC Summerlin – 7,255 Yards – Shriners Children’s Open
  • TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) – 7,256 Yards – THE PLAYERS Championship

• Comparable Greens (Fescue):
  • St. Andrews (Old Course) – Fescue / Brown top bentgrass / Poa annua 3.5mm (.138”) – The 2022 Open

• Comparable Average Green Size (7,000 sq. ft.):
  • Memorial Park Golf Course – 7,000 sq. ft. – Texas Children’s Houston Open
  • PGA National (The Champion) – 7,000 sq. ft. – Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
  • Vidanta Vallarta – 7,000 sq. ft. – Mexico Open at Vidanta

TV Information (all times ET):

• Round 1: Thursday, July 11th, 2024
  • ESPN+ – 2:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • Golf Channel – 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Round 2: July 12th, 2024
  • ESPN+ – 2:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • Golf Channel – 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Round 3: Saturday, July 13th, 2024
  • ESPN+ – 4:15 AM – 10:00 AM
  • Golf Channel – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • CBS – 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Round 4: Sunday, July 14th, 2024
  • ESPN+ – 4:15 AM – 10:00 AM
  • Golf Channel – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • CBS – 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Weather:

Course/ Tournament History:

This European Tour event debuted in 1972 as the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open held at Downfield Golf Club. One year later in 1973, the event was moved to the Old Course at St Andrews. Following that edition of the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open, TV rights could not be arranged so from 1974-1985 no tournament was not played.

In 1986, the event was brought back as the Bell’s Scottish Open and took place at Haggs Castle Golf Club. Just a year later, the event was moved to Gleneagles where it was held until 1994. From 1995 -1996 the event was held at Carnoustie and was renamed the Scottish Open.

In 1996 the event moved once more to Loch Lomond where it was played until 2010 under a variety of different names. The 2011 event was held at Castle Stuart Golf Links due to the financial difficulties being suffered by Loch Lomond. Castle Stuart Golf Links would also host the event for another two years.

From 2014-2018, the event bounced around to several different courses before finding its current home in 2019, the Renaissance Club. In 2022, this event became co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the title sponsor became Genesis.

The Renaissance Club, located in East Lothian, Scotland, is a relatively new but highly esteemed addition to the world of golf. Founded in 2008, the club quickly garnered attention for its stunning coastal setting and meticulously designed course, created by the renowned architect Tom Doak. Nestled between the historic Muirfield and North Berwick courses, The Renaissance Club blends traditional Scottish links characteristics with modern golf course design. It has rapidly risen in prominence, hosting the Scottish Senior Open and, more notably, the Genesis Scottish Open since 2019. The course is celebrated for its challenging layout, pristine conditions, and breathtaking views of the Firth of Forth.

• 72-Hole Record (Event):
  • 262, Bernd Wiesberger (2019)
• 18-Hole Record (Event):
  • 61, Bernd Wiesberger (Round 2, 2019), Byeong Hun An (Round 1, 2023)

Course Guide/ Scorecard:

Originally crafted by Tom Doak in 2008, The Renaissance Club features a Par 70 layout, comprising five Par 3s, ten Par 4s, and three Par 5s.

In terms of length, The Renaissance Club is one of the more average courses on the Tour measuring 7,237 yards. It ranks 18th out of 44 courses in length. The fairways are on the narrower side, ranking 16th of 44, with the average fairway width being 32.0 yards. The average green size is roughly 7,000 square feet which is on the larger side when compared to the other courses on the PGA Tour. There are 83 bunkers which ranks as the 12th most of 44 courses.

At the 2022 edition of the Genesis Scottish Open, the Par was 71 and the yardage was listed at 7,293. However last year, the Par has been changed to 70 and the yardage has dropped to 7,237. The 7th hole has been converted to a long Par 4 instead of a short Par 5.

The five Par 3’s range between 147 yards and 218 yards. Last year, only two of the Par 3’s had a scoring average under par, No. 12 (-0.047) and No. 14 (-0.084).

There are ten Par 4’s at The Renaissance Club with the majority (six) ranging between 450 – 500 yards. No. 5 is the shortest Par 4 listed at 338 yards with the longest being No. 7, playing 505 yards. In terms of scoring average, the toughest Par 4 on the course last year was No. 18 (+0.293).

There are three Par 5’s at The Renaissance Club, No. 3, No. 10, & No. 16. They all played under par in 2023, with the easiest hole on the course being No. 2 with a scoring average of 4.601.

Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 13

Key Statistics:

Per DataGolf, this is the favored skillset at The Renaissance Club.

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
  • Success this week will hinge on players’ ability to position themselves effectively off the tee. While the course’s considerable length underscores the significance of distance, precision holds equal importance.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Keith Mitchell
    • Min Woo Lee
    • Collin Morikawa
    • Ludvig Aberg
    • Viktor Hovland
    • Davis Thompson
    • Jordan Smith
    • Tom Kim
    • Jordan Spieth

• Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Having a strong iron game will be important this week if players want to succeed at The Renaissance Club. Three of the past five winners ranked 7th or better in SG: Approach amongst the field.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Kevin Yu
    • Corey Conners
    • Xander Schauffele
    • Ludvig Aberg
    • Aaron Rai
    • Antoine Rozner
    • Keith Mitchell
    • Tom Hoge
    • Sepp Straka
    • Viktor Hovland

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green
  • Players will undoubtedly miss greens this week so they’ll need to rely on their short game. Three of the past four winners ranked 15th or better in SG: Around the Green amongst the field.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Hideki Matsuyama
    • Davis Thompson
    • Justin Thomas
    • Alex Noren
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Collin Morikawa
    • Christiaan Bezuidenhout
    • Denny McCarthy
    • Eric Cole
    • Sungjae Im

• Par 3 Scoring: 200-225 Yards (x3)
  • Three of the five Par 3’s at The Renaissance Club range between 200-225 Yards.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Kevin Yu
    • Sami Valimaki
    • Brice Garnett
    • Guido Migliozzi
    • Gary Woodland
    • Matthew Southgate
    • Keith Mitchell
    • Luke Donald
    • Matt Wallace
    • Max Greyserman

• Par 4 Scoring: 450-500 Yards (x6)
  • Six of the ten Par 4’s at The Renaissance Club range between 450-500 Yards.
  • Leaders in Par 4 Scoring: 400-450 Yards in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Ludvig Aberg
    • Aaron Rai
    • Collin Morikawa
    • Marcel Siem
    • Hideki Matsuyama
    • Mark Hubbard
    • Max Greyserman
    • Xander Schauffele
    • Lucas Glover

• Par 5 Scoring: 550-600 Yards (x3)
  • All three Par 5’s at The Renaissance Club range between 550-600 Yards.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Davis Thompson
    • Billy Horschel
    • Eric Cole
    • Min Woo Lee
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Keith Mitchell
    • Masahiro Kawamura
    • Davis Riley
    • Austin Eckroat
    • Tom Hoge

• Birdies or Better Gained
• Players will need to take advantage of every scoring opportunity this week if they want to put themselves into contention.
  • Leaders in this category in the last 24 Rounds:
    • Davis Thompson
    • Collin Morikawa
    • Sungjae Im
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Corey Conners
    • Xander Schauffele
    • Tom Kim
    • Andrew Novak
    • Justin Lower
    • Keith Mitchell

• Proximity Gained: 175-200 Yards
  • Below is the approach shot distribution chart from last year’s event (via DataGolf). Most approach shots come from the 175-200 yard range at a volume much higher than the PGA Tour average.

• Leaders in Proximity Gained: 175-200 Yards in the last 24 Rounds:
  • Kevin Yu
  • Nicolai Hojgaard
  • Ludvig Aberg
  • Adri Arnaus
  • Cam Davis
  • Antoine Rozner
  • Hideki Matsuyama
  • Rory McIlroy
  • Marcel Siem
  • Justin Rose

• Comparable Courses and Event History
  • Looking at the Data Golf Course History Tool, prior experience at the The Renaissance Club has proven to be slightly advantageous.

• Leaders in this category in the last (Multiple Events Played):
  • Andrew Putnam
  • Tom Kim
  • Tommy Fleetwood
  • Xander Schauffele
  • Rory McIlroy
  • Max Homa
  • Matt Fitzpatrick
  • Robert MacIntyre
  • Bernd Wiesberger
  • Thomas Detry
  • Wyndham Clark

The Field:

This year’s Genesis Scottish Open will feature a total of 156 competitors.

• Here is the current basis of qualification for each entrant this week:
  • Top 30 on prior season’s FedExCup
  • Current FedExCup season leaders
  • Sponsor exemption (members not otherwise exempt)
  • DP World Tour eligibility (75 players)
  • Sponsor exemption (unrestricted)
  • KPGA (three spots)

• Previous Winners in the Field (Event):
  • Rory McIlroy (’23), Xander Schauffele (’22), Min Woo Lee (’21), Aaron Rai (’20), Bernd Wiesberger (’19), Alex Noren (’16), Rickie Fowler (’15), Justin Rose (’14), Luke Donald (’11)

• Debutants in the Field (Event):
  • Aaron Cockerill, Adam Hadwin, Alejandro Del Rey, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ben Kohles, Brendon Todd, Brice Garnett, Chandler Phillips, Christopher Gotterup, Cole Rueck, Daniel Brown, David Skinns, Davis Thompson, Denny McCarthy, JeongWoo Ham, Jesper Svensson, Jordan Gumberg, Jung-hwan Lee, Justin Lower, Keita Nakajima, Mark Hubbard, Matthias Schmid, Max Greyserman, Nicolas Echavarria, Niklas Norgaard Moller, Rikuya Hoshino, Ryo Hisatsune, Samuel Stevens, Santiago Tarrio Ben, Seamus Power, Taylor Moore, Todd Clements, Ugo Coussaud, Vincent Norrman, Yuto Katsuragawa

• Sponsor Exemptions:
  • Tom Kim, David Law, Cole Rueck, Sanghyun Park, Jeong Woo Ham, Junghwan Lee, Stewart Cink, Gary Woodland

• Players with ties to Scotland in the Field:
  • Birthplace:
    • Ewen Ferguson – Glasgow, United Kingdom
    • Grant Forrest – Livingston, United Kingdom
    • Calum Hill – Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom
    • Scott Jamieson – Glasgow, United Kingdom
    • David Law – Stevenage, United Kingdom
    • Robert MacIntyre – Oban, United Kingdom
    • Richie Ramsay – Aberdeen, United Kingdom
    • Connor Syme – Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom

• Notable Withdraws/ Changes:
  • OUT: Patrick Rodgers -> IN: Max Greyserman (Alternate)
  • IN: Santiago Tarrio (DPWT)
  • IN: Bernd Wiesberger (DPWT)
  • OUT: Beau Hossler -> IN: Taylor Montgomery (Alternate)

To see the full field for this event and how they qualified, you can click the following link.

The Odds:

Here are the current favorites for this week’s event along with a summary of their recent form and course history:

Rory McIlroy (+800) is set to defend his title at the Genesis Scottish Open. He has won two of his last six events and has consistently placed within the top 15 in the other four. This will be his first start in just under a month, following his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.

Xander Schauffele (+900) has had a stellar season, finishing outside the top 25 only once. He claimed victory at the PGA Championship in May and has placed no worse than T13 in his last three starts. Schauffele won this event in 2022 but finished T42 last year.

Collin Morikawa (+1600) has not secured a win this season but has demonstrated remarkable consistency with top 15 finishes in each of his last five starts. In this event, he finished T71 in 2021 and missed the cut in 2022.

Ludvig Aberg (+1600), who made his tournament debut last year but missed the cut, has shown strong recent form. He finished T5 at the Memorial Tournament, T12 at the U.S. Open, and T27 at the Travelers Championship in his last three events.

To see the most up-to-date odds, you can click the following link.

Projected Final Score:

• 72 Hole Winning Score: 263.5 / -16.5 (Over -110 / Under -110)

The winning score at the Genesis Scottish Open has been above 263.5 in each of the last two editions.

To place a bet at Superbook on the Projected Final Score of the Winner, you can click the following link.

Playoff Props:

• Will There Be a Playoff? (Yes +350 / No -500)

The Genesis Scottish Open has ended in a playoff in three of the last five editions.

To place a bet at DraftKings on the Playoff Prop, you can click the following link.

Hole-in-One:

• Will There Be A Hole-in-One? (Yes -215 / No +150)

In 2023, there was one hole-in-one made on No. 14 by Nicolas Colsaerts.

To place a bet at DraftKings on the Hole-in-One Prop, you can click the following link.

Recent Horses for Courses (Event):

Recent Donkeys for Courses (Event):

Previous Winners Scores, Prices, and Strokes Gained (Rank at Tournament):

• 2023: Rory McIlroy (-15)
  • Price: 8-1

• 2022: Xander Schauffele (-7)
  • Price: 20-1

• 2021: Min Woo Lee (-18)
  • Price: 200-1

• 2020: Aaron Rai (-11)
  • Price: 50-1

• 2019: Bernd Wiesberger (-22)
  • Price: 40-1

Previous Winners Incoming Form (Last 5 Starts):

• 2023: Rory McIlroy
  • T7 – Travelers Championship (PGA)
  • 2 – U.S. Open (MAJ)
  • T9 – RBC Canadian Open (PGA)
  • T7 – the Memorial Tournament (PGA)
  • T7 – PGA Championship (MAJ)

• 2022: Xander Schauffele
  • WON – Travelers Championship (PGA)
  • T14 – U.S. Open (MAJ)
  • T18 – the Memorial Tournament (PGA)
  • T13 – PGA Championship (MAJ)
  • T5 – AT&T Byron Nelson (PGA)

• 2021: Min Woo Lee
  • T17 – Dubai Duty Free Irish Open (DPWT)
  • T42 – BMW International Open (DPWT)
  • MC – Porsche European Open (DPWT)
  • T52 – Made in HimmerLand (DPWT)
  • T21 – Betfred British Masters (DPWT)

• 2020: Aaron Rai
  • 2 – Dubai Duty Free Irish Open (DPWT)
  • T15 – ISPS HANDA UK Championship (DPWT)
  • T44 – ISPS HANDA Wales Open (DPWT)
  • T31 – Celtic Classic (DPWT)
  • T44 – English Championship (DPWT)

• 2019: Bernd Wiesberger
  • T2 – Dubai Duty Free Irish Open (DPWT)
  • T16 – BMW International Open (DPWT)
  • 76 – U.S. Open (MAJ)
  • 8 – Belgian Knockout (DPWT)
  • WON – Made in Denmark (DPWT)

Previous Winners Finishes at Event:

2023: Rory McIlroy

2022: Xander Schauffele

2021: Min Woo Lee

2020: Aaron Rai

2019: Bernd Wiesberger

Picks (Outrights):

• Tom Kim (+2500) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.32 to win 8.00 Units

• Min Woo Lee (+2800) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.29 to win 8.12 Units

• Aaron Rai (+4500) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.18 to win 8.10 Units

• Wyndham Clark (+4500) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.18 to win 8.10 Units

• Brian Harman (+6000) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.14 to win 8.40 Units

Total Risk on Outrights: 1.11 Units

Picks (Top 20):

• Thomas Detry (+200) – BetMGM
  • Risk 1.00 to win 2.00 Units

• Nicolai Hojgaard (+260) – DraftKings (Top 20 Finish Including Ties)
  • Risk 1.00 to win 2.60 Units

Total Risk on Top 20s: 2.00 Units

Picks (Top 40):

• Ben Griffin (+130) – BetMGM
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.30 Units

• Matt Wallace (+130) – BetMGM
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.30 Units

Total Risk on Top 40s: 2.00 Units

As always, all of my placement bets are through BetMGM as they’re one of the only books without dead-heat rules. If you’d like to bet these placements at BetMGM, you can get up to $1500 in Bonus Bets if you don’t win if you’re a first-time user. Must Be 21+. Gambling Problem? Call or Text 1-800-GAMBLER.

Here’s my link to sign up at BetMGM!

Total Risk on the Genesis Scottish Open: 5.11 Units 

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.