The appetizer for the final major championship of the season is expected to be a tasty one. The 2024 Scottish Open takes center stage this week at the Renaissance Club as the PGA Tour welcomes a strong field to its co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour.
In only its third go-round as a co-sanctioned event, the Scottish Open has already identified two elite winners. Xander Schauffele held off a fierce chasing pack that included Tom Kim in 2022, while Rory McIlroy made birdie on his final two holes in 2023 to usurp Scotland's Robert MacIntyre for the title.
McIlroy returns to competition this week in what will be his first start since the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Taking some time away from the game, the four-time major champion will hope for a successful defense at another national open in what will be his final preparation for The Open.
Joining Schauffele and McIlroy in the field are a couple of winners at this tournament when it was strictly a DP World Tour event: Min Woo Lee and Aaron Rai. Rai continues to play stellar golf having been featured in the flnal pairing in the final round the last two weeks on the PGA Tour, while Lee appears poised to knock down the door for his maiden PGA Tour win in due time.
Jordan Spieth makes the trip across the pond flashing a smidge more form along with good friends Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas. 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa tees it up in North Berwick for the third straight year seeking his first win of the season, as do his European counterparts Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
2024 Scottish Open schedule
Dates: July 11-14
Location: The Renaissance Club — North Berwick, Scotland
Par: 70 | Yardage: 7,237
Purse: $9,000,000
2024 Scottish Open field, odds
- Rory McIlroy (8-1): McIlroy was one of two players to card four under-par rounds en route to his victory last season and will look for much of the same off his extended layoff. Choosing to skip the Travelers Championship the week after the U.S. Open, McIlroy arrives in North Berwick with his major championship shortcomings at the top of everyone's mind. He will look to put those past him and continue what has been a torrid stretch of play dating back to the end of April that has included two wins, two top fives and a couple other top-15 finishes in six starts.
- Xander Schauffele (9-1): Schauffele's made-cut streak could be put the the test this week as the PGA Championship winner has now collected 50 straight paychecks dating back to the 2022 Masters. Good for the longest streak since Tiger Woods' 142 in a row, Schauffele's consistency can only be applauded. He has 13 top 20s in 16 starts and six of which have double as top-five finishes. Making his fourth start at the Scottish Open, the world No. 2 should find himself in the mix again given the well-rounded nature of his game.
- Collin Morikawa (16-1): Something eventually has to give for Morikawa. He arrives in Scotland on a tear with eight straight top-16 finishes in individual starts including top fives at the Masters, PGA Championship and Memorial. His iron play is returning to peak Morikawa levels and has been matched by a short-game output never seen from him. Despite winning the 2021 Open Championship, the two-time major champion's links golf résumé has not been stellar as of late with three straight missed cuts between the Scottish Open and The Open.
- Ludvig Åberg (16-1)
- Tommy Fleetwood (20-1)
- Viktor Hovland (22-1)
- Tom Kim (25-1): He is surging at the moment, and the transition to links golf could not have occurred at a better time. Despite missing the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the three-time PGA Tour winner should be in good spirits following his first week off in a couple months. A playoff loser to Scottie Scheffler at the Travelers Championship, Scottish Open and The Open, the 22-year-old has three top-six finishes.
- Min Woo Lee (28-1): The Australian is beginning to play some of his best golf. A runner-up finisher at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Lee put an end to a five-tournament streak that saw him cash five top-26 finishes but none of which resulted in a top 20. The 25-year-old returns to the site of what may possibly be his biggest win as he defeated Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff in 2021. Always lethal off the tee and with his short game in tow, Lee could threaten again in Scotland if his iron play makes the trip.
- Matt Fitzpatrick (35-1)
- Hideki Matsuyama (35-1)
2024 Scottish Open expert picks
| Winner (20-1): The maiden PGA Tour victory has eluded the Englishman, but this is as good a time as any for him to finally break through. Fleetwood arrives in Scotland riding a wave of form that includes top 20s at the Wells Fargo Championship, Memorial, U.S. Open and Travelers Championship. His ball striking is beginning to swing upward and should be a lovely match for his prowess on links-style golf courses. In his last nine combined starts at The Open and the Scottish Open, Fleetwood has six top 10s and a couple runner-up finishes. | |
| Contender (22-1): The short game is not good, but maybe it won't matter. Hovland ranks dead last on the PGA Tour in strokes gained around the green, but the transition to links golf may be just what the doctor ordered. With three top 20s in his last four starts and a significant uptick in his ball striking in his corner, the reigning FedEx Cup champion has the makeup to contend at the Renaissance Club. His links golf experience is somewhat slept on with three straight top 15s to begin his Open career. | |
| Sleeper (50-1): It has been an all-or-nothing type of year for Clark as he either seems to contend for a title or miss the weekend entirely. He may have discovered some semblance of consistency with his top 10 at the Travelers Championship where he put together his best iron performance since his close call at the Players Championship in March. Clark has been stellar in the ball-striking department in two trips to the Renaissance Club, ranking fourth in the field in both instances. | |
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