Genesis Scottish Open 2026 preview picks analysis

World number one Scottie Scheffler prepares for his defence of The Open Championship by playing in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club this week alongside a world-class field. The tournament is jointly-sanctioned with the PGA Tour and is a Rolex Series event.

The four-time major winner and reigning Open champion will join Rory McIlroy, 2024 winner Robert MacIntyre and defending champion Chris Gotterup.

Scheffler has continued his imperious form this season, securing his 20th PGA Tour title at The American Express in January and adding a bucketload of top five finishes, including runner up at Augusta National.

The 2024 Olympic gold medallist and three-time Ryder Cup player returns for his fifth appearance, as the 30-year-old aims to add Scotland’s national open to his glittering resume ahead of his defence of the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.

Scheffler said: "I always enjoy coming to the Genesis Scottish Open and taking on the challenge of links-style golf as part of an exciting couple of weeks in the UK. The tournament always has a strong field, and the Scottish fans help to make it a fun week."

Scottie Scheffler

(Image Credit: Rolex/Chris Turvey)

McIlroy is in need of a good week. Apart from winning The Masters in April, the reality is that he has had a pretty disappointing season and he will want to put that right before heading to Royal Birkdale next week for The Open Championship.

The Renaissance Club was the scene of a memorable 2024 edition of the Genesis Scottish Open when MacIntyre became the first Scot since Colin Montgomerie in 1999 to lift the famous quaich trophy. He secured his maiden Rolex Series title with a birdie at the last in front of a jubilant home crowd, and he is now aiming to become the first Scot to seal the title twice.

He added another home-soil victory in 2025 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with that win coming just a week after a second Ryder Cup triumph with Team Europe for the 29-year-old.

MacIntyre went on to finish sixth in the 2025 Race to Dubai and carried that form into the 2026 season on the PGA Tour, notching up fourth place finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii and The Players Championship, and runner-up at the Valero Texas Open.

The four-time DP World Tour winner will once again spearhead the Scottish challenge in East Lothian, as he makes his eighth straight appearance in his home open this summer.

MacIntyre said: "There’s nothing quite like playing in Scotland. The support I get at the Genesis Scottish Open is something really special, and to win it in front of the Scottish fans in 2024 is a moment I’ll never forget. Every time I come back, it feels bigger. You can hear the crowds everywhere you go around the course, and that energy really lifts you. I can’t wait to get back to the Renaissance Club and experience it all again."

Former Genesis Scottish Open champion Xander Schauffele, his fellow major winner Justin Thomas, and European Ryder Cup star Viktor Hovland are also in the field. Two-time major champion Schauffele, who lifted the Scottish Open trophy in 2022, completes a quartet of past winners returning to East Lothian, joining defending champion Gotterup, MacIntyre and McIlroy, who triumphed in 2023.

Schauffele recorded two major victories in 2024 at the US PGA Championship and The Open, lifting the Claret Jug the week after teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open. He claimed his 10th PGA Tour title last season, winning the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club for his second victory in Japan, following his Olympic Gold Medal in 2021.

The three-time US Ryder Cup player said: "It’s always fun to come back to the Genesis Scottish Open, and it’s part of a key couple of weeks in my schedule, in the week before The Open. It’s enjoyable to play somewhere you have had success in the past, and the Scottish fans make me feel so welcome every year."

Seven-time PGA Tour winner Hovland was part of Europe’s historic back-to-back Ryder Cup wins in Rome in 2023 and New York last September, and he returns to the Renaissance Club for his fifth appearance at Scotland’s national open. Hovland, who was the first player from Norway to win on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, will be aiming for a third DP World Tour win and second on the Rolex Series.

He said: "I always enjoy playing in the home of golf whenever I get the chance, and it’s even more special at the Genesis Scottish Open with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour players coming together in the same field."

Thomas first played in Scotland at the start of his professional career at the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and is set to make his seventh appearance at the Genesis Scottish Open this summer. The 2017 and 2022 US PGA Championship winner, who sealed his 16th PGA Tour victory at the 2025 RBC Heritage, said: "I had the chance to play in Scotland right back at the start of my professional journey, so it’s cool to come back each season to the Genesis Scottish Open as part of an exciting two weeks in the UK."

They will be joined by Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Reigning FedExCup champion Fleetwood returns for his 12th Genesis Scottish Open appearance, having recorded three top ten finishes, including runner-up to fellow Englishman Aaron Rai in 2020.

The 35-year-old enjoyed a memorable end to the 2025 season as he recorded his fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance - lifting the trophy for the third time -sealed his eighth DP World Tour victory at the DP World India Championship, and secured his breakthrough win on the PGA Tour. He recorded his sixth top ten of the 2026 season last month at the Memorial Tournament.

Fleetwood said: "I’ve played well at the Genesis Scottish Open over the years and it’s an event I always enjoy coming back to. It’s in a great spot in the calendar in the week before The Open, so hopefully it’s a memorable fortnight this time around, playing in the home of golf and then on home turf at Royal Birkdale."

Fitzpatrick also boasts an impressive Scottish Open record, with three top tens in 12 appearances, including runner-up in 2021. The 2022 US Open champion and ten-time DP World Tour winner has enjoyed plenty of memorable moments in recent months, including joining Fleetwood in the historic European Ryder Cup win in New York last September, ending the 2025 season with victory at the DP World Tour Championship, winning the RBC Heritage for a second time and notching up PGA Tour win number five alongside brother Alex at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April.

Fitzpatrick said: "It’s been an enjoyable season so far, winning twice on the PGA Tour and sharing the victory in New Orleans with Alex, and I’m pleased to have the Genesis Scottish Open as part of my upcoming schedule. It’s always a great week, with the players from the DP World Tour and PGA Tour coming together at the Renaissance Club."

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, in 2024 by Robert MacIntyre and last year by Chris Gotterup.

The Course:

The Renaissance Club is located in East Lothian, 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:

Tommy Fleetwood has been the model of consistency all year and although his big target is next week’s Open, don’t be surprised to see him there or thereabouts this week.