Genesis Scottish Open 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

With The Open Championship at Royal Portrush just around the corner, it comes as no surprise to see Europe’s strongest field of the season heading to the Renaissance Club for the Scottish Open, a tournament run jointly by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.

The field is a veritable who’s who of world golf as Robert MacIntyre returns to defend the title he won in such emotional circumstances 12 months ago. This time the Scot returns home fresh from an agonising near-miss at last month’s US Open. There is a growing feeling that MacIntyre is a major champion in waiting. Last year he won the Canadian Open and followed it the next month with a fantastic victory on home soil.

His season had been something of a slow burner but while the world’s elite moaned about how tough Oakmont was, MacIntyre knuckled down and went about his business in a quiet and efficient way. In the end, he finished two strokes adrift of American JJ Spaun but he surely proved to himself and to the rest of the world that he possesses both the game and temperament to win a major. And what better way to tune up for Portrush than with another big week in Scotland?

But if he is going to do so then he is going to have to do it the hard way.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Spaun will be teeing it up alongside all four current major winners, all of the top five, and eight of the top 10 players in the world rankings.

The top three players in the world - 2025 US PGA winner Scottie Scheffler, 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy, and reigning Open Champion Xander Schauffele - will be joined by Spaun in a mouthwatering field.

Fellow major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa and European Ryder Cup stars Sepp Straka and Viktor Hovland complete the eight members of the world’s top 10 teeing it up in Scotland’s national open.

And MacIntyre will be joining his 2023 Ryder Cup-winning teammates Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood along with Americans Maverick McNealy and Harris English. 

It is going to be a big, big week for Fleetwood, who suffered heartbreak at the recent Travelers Championship. Leading by three strokes after 54 holes and still in front of Keegan Bradley heading down the stretch, Fleetwood hit a poor approach to the final hole and then three-putted as Bradley produced a stunning approached and followed it with a birdie to snatch victory from the Englishman’s grasp. It means that after more than 40 top-10 PGA Tour finishes, he is still looking for his first win.

He garnered a huge amount of sympathy after his loss and it was instructive to realise that the vast majority of the American crowd were pulling for a man who is not one of their own. It says a great deal about the kind of human being Tommy Fleetwood is. He admitted to being devastated at the manner of his loss but there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that he will bounce back. I expect him to contend both this week and again at Royal Portrush, where he finished second behind Shane Lowry in 2019.

Adam Scott, who finished runner up to MacIntyre in the 2024 Scottish Open and who also showed some fine form at Oakmont before fading late in the piece, is one of a further nine major winners in the field alongside former European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Brian Harman, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Danny Willett and Gary Woodland.

A host of DP World Tour winners will tee it up, including Scots Connor Syme and Calum Hill - who have both lifted trophies on the 2025 Race to Dubai - and Ewen Ferguson.

Rolex Series winners include Ryan Fox - who has triumphed twice on the PGA Tour this season - the 2020 winner of Scotland’s national open, Aaron Rai, 2023 European Ryder Cup star Nicolai Hojgaard alongside Paul Waring and Victor Perez - both winners in Abu Dhabi.

South Korea’s number one player Sungjae Im is also joined in the field by his countrymen Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim - both fellow PGA Tour winners - and 2024 Genesis Championship winner Byeong Hun An.

There is a huge amount of prize money on offer, along with plenty of Race to Dubai, FedEx Cup and Ryder Cup points, which makes this the perfect week for golfers on the periphery of the European team to make a big statement. 

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Rickie Fowler, in 2016 by Alex Noren, in 2017 by Rafa Cabrera Bello, in 2018 by Brandon Stone, in 2019 by Bernd Wiesberger, in 2020 by Aaron Rai, in 2021 by Min Woo Lee, in 2022 by Xander Schauffele, in 2023 by Rory McIlroy and last year by Robert MacIntyre.

The Course:

The Renaissance Club is located not far from North Berwick, next to Muirfield. A par 71, it measures 7,303 yards and is a true links course, featuring plenty of thick rough. It was designed by Tom Doak and features stunning views over the Firth of Forth. If the weather is good expect to see some very low scoring. If the wind blows it will be a very different story.

Form Guide:

It would be all too easy to single out the imperious Scottie Scheffler but I honestly believe that this could be the week when it happens for Tommy Fleetwood. Let’s forget what happened on the final hole at the Travelers - up to that point the Englishman had demonstrated that he is on top of his game. And although he is an Englishman, I can guarantee the crowd will all be rooting for him.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $9m, with 8,000 Race to Dubai and 2,000 Ryder Cup points up for grabs, along with 500 FedEx Cup points.

How to Watch:

Thursday, July 10, Friday, July 11, Sky Sports Golf, 8.30am; Saturday, July 12 ,Sunday, July 13,  Sky Sports Golf, 10am.

To Win:

Tommy Fleetwood. Has a point to prove

Each Way:

Marco Penge. Ready to move to the next level

Each Way:

Rory McIlroy. Should be refreshed

Five to Follow:

Tommy Fleetwood. Would be a hugely popular winner

Marco Penge. Huge hitter

Rory McIlroy. Will definitely be fired up

Scottie Scheffler. Certain to be there or thereabouts

Viktor Hovland. Back to his best

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Calum Hill. Full of confidence

Jordan Smith. Sweet swinger

Matthew Jordan.  Can go really low

Ugo Coussaud. Impressive French golfer

Haotong Li. Could surprise this week