The Genesis Scottish Open returns to East Lothian this week and once again serves as the traditional curtain-raiser to The Open Championship. As a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, the Renaissance Club will play host to a world-class field packed with major winners, Ryder Cup regulars and Open contenders using this week as their final tune-up before heading south of the border.
Scottie Scheffler heads the market as world number one, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele all in behind him. With the winds coming in off the Firth of Forth and the R&A’s biggest week just around the corner, we should be treated to a fascinating four days of golf on Scottish soil.
Course
The Renaissance Club is a modern layout in East Lothian that plays as something of a hybrid parkland-links course, with the front nine feeling slightly more sheltered before the back nine opens up towards the Firth of Forth. Since taking over as the host venue for the Scottish Open, no single stat or skill set has really stood out as the definitive key to winning here. We’ve seen bombers like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Chris Gotterup succeed, alongside more precision-based players such as Robert MacIntyre. That makes handicapping the field tricky and highlights why current form and links comfort tend to be more useful indicators than any weekly course-fit model.
That said, two attributes consistently show up in Scottish Open winners, strong driving off the tee and a sharp short game. Length is a big help in taking the fairway bunkers out of play, while the ability to flight iron shots low and hold windy links greens is invaluable. As with any links test, the short game is a huge factor, touch around the greens, up-and-down conversion from tight lies, and the ability to lag long putts across firm surfaces are what separate the contenders from the pack come Sunday afternoon.
Past Winners
2025 Chris Gotterup (United States) -15
2024 Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) -18
2023 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) -15
2022 Xander Schauffele (United States) -7
2021 Min Woo Lee (Australia) -18
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Market Leaders
Scottie Scheffler heads the market at 6.50, which seems surprisingly generous given his sustained dominance as World Number One across every event he shows up in. Rory McIlroy is next in at 11.00, priced short off the back of a strong recent record at this event, followed by Jon Rahm at 17.00 who consistently performs on links-style setups. Former champion Xander Schauffele sits at 21.00 together with Matt Fitzpatrick and home favourite Tommy Fleetwood.
Betting (Genesis Scottish Open 2026) – Click here to bet
Scottie Scheffler 6.50
Rory McIlroy 11.00
Jon Rahm 17.00
Xander Schauffele 21.00
Matt Fitzpatrick 21.00
Tommy Fleetwood 21.00
SELECTIONS:
Robert MacIntyre at 34.00
Our first pick of the week is homegrown hero Robert MacIntyre. MacIntyre won this tournament back in 2024 and will be looking to repeat the feat in front of his home fans this week. He comes into it in a decent run of form, with a top 10 in his most recent start at the Travelers Championship and a 15th at the Canadian Open just two weeks prior to that. He also has a solid record at his home open, with a win and a runner-up finish in two of his last three starts here. At 34.00, we like him as an outsider pick who could genuinely go all the way this week.
Suggested bet: Robert MacIntyre each way at 34.00
Rory McIlroy at 11.00
McIlroy has not played a huge amount of golf this year but that isn’t the angle we are backing him on, we are going on his form at the Scottish Open itself. In each of the last three years he has either won or been very much in contention. 2023 saw him deliver a remarkable final hole to beat MacIntyre by one, before a solid title defence in 2024 saw him finish fourth. He then came back last year to finish runner-up behind Chris Gotterup. McIlroy knows the Renaissance Club well and knows exactly what it takes to win there. He is a player who doesn’t need to play a full schedule, when the big moments arrive, he tends to step up.
Suggested bet: Rory McIlroy each way at 11.00
Wyndham Clarke at 29.00
Our last pick of the week is Wyndham Clarke, and this one is purely off the back of form. He has been on a serious heater over the last couple of months. It started at the CJ Cup in May, where he finished -30 to win the tournament. He then followed that up with a 3rd at the Memorial Tournament and an 11th at the RBC Canadian Open. That was all before his massive win at the US Open, where he held onto his lead on the final day to take the title by one shot and claim his second US Open. His only start since, has been a fifth-place finish at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago. Clarke is in the form of his life right now, and we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see him carry that form over the pond and challenge on Scottish soil.
Suggested bet: Wyndham Clarke each way at 29.00
Click here for all the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open Markets
Note: All prices are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
