Over the past three years, the Genesis Scottis Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick has been jointly approved between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
This means some of the world’s golf celebrities have been arriving in Scotland, not only to eliminate it with a $9 million wallet, but to hone their game in the open championship game the following week.
Before the annual showdown on 70 cards designed by Tom Doak, we picked five legitimate contenders to lift the trophy and gave ourselves the perfect dispatch of the Royal Prothush Open.
Scottie Scheffler
- Nationality: United States
- World Ranking: 1
- Course Form: 3-MC-12
- Current form (last six): 6-7-1-4-1-1
Scheffler is the one they have to beat, and in his last nine games, the world’s first season has not yet ended outside the top eight.
He won three titles, including the PGA title, and it’s hard to see him not competing here, especially since the weather forecasts don’t suggest any drama.
Scheffler missed the race last year but finished 12th on his way to third place in 2023 and 12th in third place. He finished seventh in the Open at Royal Troon in July 2024 in Scotland.
Rory McIlroy
- Nationality: Northern Ireland
- World Ranking: 2
- Course Form: 4-1-MC-34
- Current Form (Last Six): 6-19-MC-47-7-12
Rory scored a stunning little birdie result in this match two years ago to hit the championship, and he made a bold defense in Game 4 last year.
He has experienced a current crisis since he finally won the Masters and finished the Grand Slam, and has not finished the top five since his glorious Sunday at Augusta National.
But he showed good signs again after finishing sixth in the U.S. Open at No. 19, sixth in the Travelers Championship, hoping to show his game in a sharp shape before playing the Open Championship next week at Royal Protush.
Robert MacIntyre
- Nationality: Scotland
- World Ranking: 14
- Course Form: 1-2-MC-18-14-MC
- Current form (Last six): 17-2-36-20-6-47
After a startling approach to the last closed bird in 2023, McIntyre looked home and sat down, but charged Rory McIlroy with one shot defeating him.
But last year the Scots were redeemed. The third round of 63 set another last-day challenge, this time his turn was 16, and then hit a 20-foot birdie in the 18-foot birdie to beat Adam Scott with a shot.
MacIntyre finished second in the US Open at Fiendishly-Difciply-Difcipult Oakmont before two starts and continues to thrive and secures his best results in his profession. A bold defense can be expected.
Collin Morikawa
- Nationality: United States
- World Ranking: 5
- Course Form: 4-MC-71
- Current form (Last six): 8-42-23-20-50-17
After finishing runner-up in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and finishing tenth in the Players Championship in March, Morikawa struggled to find equipment for change, but last ranked eighth in the Rockets Classic, which shows that it is coming.
As a former Open Champion (Royal St. George in 2021), he deserves respect on the link, showing his seal on the course last year, hitting fourth place at 65-66-66-69.
Morikawa’s “X” factor this week is his first possession of caddie legend Billy Foster, while Yorkshireman’s experience reading green and contact conditions may help secure his first win since the 2023 Zozo title in Japan.
Tommy Fleetwood
- Nationality: English
- World Ranking: 13
- Course Form: 34-6-4-26-2
- Current Form (Last Six): 2-MC-16-4-41-4
Fleetwood hasn’t won the PGA Tour yet and finished second in the Travelers Championship last month, a fluffy opportunity, where he bogeyed Keegan Bradley’s birdie, turning into a heartbreaking single-inning loss on 71 holes.
But with the PGA Tour visiting Scotland, Fleetwood’s love, maybe it’s the week he’s finally done.
His first DP World Tour won Scotland and since then he has won many top hits and top 10 in the “Golf House”. These include second, fourth and sixth in the course, including third place in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last October. Is it Tommy’s time? He will be a very popular winner.
Read more: Revealed: Five biggest names that do not meet the 2025 Open qualification
