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Genesis Scottish Open
Over the last decade many of the best players in the world have made it a trend to play the Scottish Open to prep for the Open Championship the following week. This year, almost all of them will do so, as this event is now co-sanctioned by both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. The field will consist of 75 DP World Tour members and 75 PGA Tour members and points will be awarded by both Tours. This week's field is among the strongest at a non-major all season, as a whopping 14 of the top 15 in the OWGR will tee it up at The Renaissance Club, which will host the Scottish Open for a fourth straight season.
Profiling the Winner
The Renaissance Club is a mix of both a parkland-style course and a true seaside links. It was carved out of around 300 acres of pine forest right between two legendary links courses in North Berwick and Muirfield, which is still in the Open rotation. The Renaissance Club saw some very low scores the last three years, but the 2022 Scottish Open it is set to feature drastically different conditions. There is a very minimal threat of rain throughout the week, which will make the course play bouncy. We will see a lot more roll out on the tee shots, which will bring the long fescue more into play. It will also be trickier to stop the golf ball on firm greens. Combine those elements with a steady dose of traditional Scottish breezes in all four rounds and we should have a truly fascinating championship.
This track now plays as a par-70 with the seventh hole playing as a par-4 at 505 yards. There are still three par-5s, and it will be crucial to score on those to offset the five tricky par-3s on the property. The Renaissance Club is known for its tight fairways, so it would be best to try and target players that fare well in driving accuracy. The fescue greens will be prepped to run at about 11.5 on the Stimpmeter, which is pretty quick for a seaside links course. The greens are large and feature a fair bit of humps and hollows, which will make three-putts plentiful.
Renaissance Club designer Tom Doak said that when the course plays in firm and windy conditions, ball striking is at a premium, while when it gets soft -- like we saw the last few years here -- it lends to more of a putting contest. Given the forecast, it appears the best ball strikers should be able to capitalize on their advantage even more this week.
Category Picks
Premium Picks
Players Included: Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele
Guru Verdict: Rahm is the prototype for a lot of different courses, but especially one that tests driving ability as much as The Renaissance Club does. The Spaniard leads the PGA Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee and total driving. He is also second in GIR percentage and fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green. Rahm finished solo seventh in this event last year and has 10 top-25s worldwide since his last missed cut.
Front-Runners
Players Included: Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama
Guru Verdict: It's really tough to go against Fitzpatrick here. With a sudden surge in distance, the Englishman has become one of the best drivers in the world. He is now leading the PGA Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green and is second in scoring average. Fitzpatrick notched four top-10 finishes in his last five starts, with two of those being majors. He has played in all three Scottish Opens held at The Renaissance Club and has made the cut in each attempt. He nearly won here last year before falling in a playoff.
Young Guns
Players Included: Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland, Sam Burns, Joaquin Niemann
Guru Verdict: Zalatoris is the trendy pick, but Hovland has the most experience on this side of the Atlantic. The Norwegian is going to break out of his little slump at some point, and what better time to do that before the final major of the season. Hovland ranks top-28 on Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Approach and SG: Putting. He is also third in total driving and sixth in birdie average.
Good Chances
Players Included: Sungjae Im, Max Homa, Keegan Bradley, Cameron Young, Corey Conners, Billy Horschel
Guru Verdict: The expected firm and fast conditions should favor the ball strikers -- or every player in this category. You just can't look past Conners. The Canadian ranks sixth in SG: Off-the-Tee, 10th in total driving, fifth in GIR percentage and 13th in proximity to the hole. Prior to a missed cut at the U.S. Open, Conners had gone 9-for-10 with six top-13 finishes. Conners and Horschel were the only players here to tee it up at The Renaissance Club last year.
Great Britain Stars
Players Included: Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Robert MacIntyre
Guru Verdict: While he plays mainly on the DP World Tour, Smith is playing the best golf of anyone in this group. In 2022, the Englishman has gone 12-for-13 with five top-10s and 11 top-25s. Smith ranks first on the DP World Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee, 15th in SG: Approach, fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green, first in GIR percentage and eighth in scrambling. He hasn't had great success in his three trips to The Renaissance Club, but also wasn't playing nearly as well coming in.
Contenders
Players Included: Alex Noren, Keith Mitchell, Adrian Meronk, K.H. Lee, Gary Woodland, Ryan Fox
Guru Verdict: Fox is up to a career-high 46th in the OWGR following a solo second last week at the Irish Open. The New Zealander has been on an incredible run, with five top-3 finishes and eight top-15s over his last 10 starts. Fox is third on the DP World Tour in both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green. Meronk become the first Polish golfer to win on the DP World Tour last week and has been on a strong run himself with five top-6 finishes over his last eight starts.
Outsiders
Players Included: Brian Harman, Marc Leishman, Mito Pereira, Harold Varner III, Matt Kuchar, Sebastian Munoz
Guru Verdict: This is probably the trickiest category of the week to call. Experience is often key on a links style course and Kuchar certainly has the most, but the ball-striking numbers are simply not there for the veteran. Pereira missed his last two cuts, but his numbers are very impressive on the season. The Chilean ranks top-25 on the PGA Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Approach, SG: Tee-to-Green, GIR percentage, proximity to the hole and scrambling. Pereira is also extremely good at controlling his ball flight, something that will serve him well in these Scottish winds.
Wild Cards
Players Included: Nick Taylor, Chris Kirk, Maverick McNealy, Sahith Theegala, Jason Kokrak, Cameron Tringale, Jhonattan Vegas
Guru Verdict: Under normal circumstances Theegala is probably the play here, but I question fatigue for a player who teed it up each of the last two weeks and is making the trip across the Atlantic. Kirk has not played since posting a T7 at the Canadian Open, which was his third top-15 in his last four starts. He will be the most rested of the group and is also arguably the best ball striker, ranking 22nd in SG: Off-the-Tee and ninth in SG: Tee-to-Green.
Editor's Note: Here's some additional advice from RW's Len Hochberg and PG's Matt Hardy:
Ryan's Selections
Premium Picks: Jon Rahm
Front-Runners: Matt Fitzpatrick
Young Guns: Viktor Hovland
Good Chances: Corey Conners
Great Britain Stars: Jordan Smith
Contenders: Ryan Fox
Outsiders: Mito Pereira
Wild Cards: Chris Kirk
