Preview
Genesis Scottish Open Course Info
Designer: Tom Doak
Type of Course: Modern links
Used Since: 2019
Fairways: Wide
Rough: Thick in places
Greens: Fescue
Par 5's: 3rd,10th and 16th.
Premium on: Approach play/Links ability
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
This is a co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour and as such, attracts a stellar field this year.
The weather in 2020 was bad and many players struggled. Conditions were dry and firm last year so could play differently this year with some rain in the forecast.
Many players will be using this week as a warm up for next week's Open Championship.
Genesis Scottish Open Weather Forecast
A mixed week of weather with the wind due to pick up on Sunday afternoon for the final round.
Thursday
Sunny intervals and breezy. Wind 12-14mph
Friday
Light Rain and gentle breeze. Wind 6-10mph
Saturday
Light Rain and breezy. Wind 11-14mph
Sunday
Light Rain and breezy. Wind 14-21mph
Genesis Scottish Open Trends
Winning score
Winning scores the past four years have been hugely different due to weather conditions. Aaron Rai won with -11 in 2020 after horrendous weather on the Saturday. Bernd Wiesberger won with -22 in 2019, Min Woo Lee won with a score of -22 in 2021 however Xander Schauffele won with -7 last year with the course playing firm and fast. The 7th hole changed from a par 5 to a par 4 which affected the winning score too.
Winning Profile
Since this event has been staged at Renaissance Club, the four winners have been 240th, 183rd, 83rd and 11 in the world rankings. With the field stronger than ever, it is likely we will see a top player win, but Kurt Kitayama and Tom Kim nearly shocked the field last year.
Correlating Courses
Although different courses have been used, past winners have a solid bank of Irish Open performances. Not something to hang your hat on but of interest.
Course form
Schauffele was 10th the year before his win but Rai had missed the cut in 2019 and Min Woo Lee had finished 30th in his only previous course appearance. Preferred but not essential.
Recent form
Schauffele had won the Travelers Championship in his start prior. Min Woo Lee was 17th on his last start before winning. Both winners prior to him had been runner up in their last start. Recent form appears to be a huge bonus.
Nationality
No obvious nationality traits.
Genesis Scottish Open Stats Analysis
We will analyse the stats of the previous four winners.
SG: Off The Tee
30-58-17-50. A solid driver is preferred but not essential.
Driving Distance
25-26-62-29. Distance isn't essential.
Driving Accuracy
88-99-29-48. Driving Accuracy isn't perceived as essential.
SG: Approach
8-28-26-3. Strong iron play is important.
Greens in Regulation
6-36-5-30. Confirms the importance of strong iron play.
SG: Around The Green
29-4-12-81. A tidy short game is helpful for the most part.
SG: Putting
43-20-36-32. Not been a key stat.
Genesis Scottish Open In-Play Tips
Tough Holes
The 18th hole played as the toughest last year. The 2nd played the toughest the previous two years and was 3rd toughest in 2022. The 8th, 9th and 4th have all featured in the top 5 hardest holes the past two years.
Birdie Holes
The par 5s all played under par and the short par 4 5th hole played the easiest last year.
Fast or Slow Start
Neither of the four champions at The Renaissance have been inside the top 26 after Round 1 - Xander Schauffele was ELEVEN shots back after round last year. Schauffele led after 54 holes whilst Bernd Wiesberger led from halfway onwards in 2019. Aaron Rai was 28th after 36 holes and 10th after 54 holes. However, conditions in Round 3 in 2020 were awful so we should remember that the results that year should be treated with a degree of caution.
Closing stretch
The 16th offers an easy birdie but the final two holes played as the 10th and 1st hardest in 2022.
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Tips
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In-play
Scottish Open In-Play Blog
15th July 2023, 11.55pm (UK time)
Player | Total |
McIlroy |
-13 |
Kim |
-12 |
Harman |
-11 |
Fleetwood |
-11 |
Five players tied |
-10 |
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 3 Summary
Tee times were moved forward to early morning and players enjoyed almost perfect playing conditions in the third round. Rory McIlroy retained his one shot lead at the top of the leaderboard.
Notable Round 3 Genesis Scottish Open Quotes
"Yeah it was a pretty tough moving day for me. Off the tee, wasn't really in the right spot. But I think that's probably as good as I could have played. I hung in there and left myself a lot of tough shots but I had some nice up-and-downs to at least give myself a chance to have a good one tomorrow." Ton Kim
"Of course I'm excited about being somewhere near contention and have a chance tomorrow. I'd like to not get too far away and see what the conditions bring. If it's rough, it's rough. If it's nice, that will do, too. You have to play it no matter what. But I'm happy after the first sort of 26 holes of the tournament to be in this position, I'm very pleased with it." Tommy Fleetwood
" It was another really good round of golf. Very solid. I feel like I've left a few out there over the last couple of days, but at the same time, at least the last few holes, it was quite tricky conditions." Rory McIlroy
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 4 Weather
Sunny intervals. Wind 25-40mph.
Back or Fade The Favourite?
Rory McIlroy is the 6/4 favourite but we're not keen to back him given the weather forecast. Strong winds are forecast for the final round, even with early tee times, and we could well see someone post a score from off the pace.
In-Play Genesis Scottish Open Bets We Considered
We have a great deal of unknowns with early tee times and uncertainty over whether play will be suspended due to the strong winds. Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry both make appeal in the betting but with playing conditions uncertain, we aren't committing to backing them.
Genesis Scottish Open Round 4 Bets
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14th July 2023, 10pm (UK time)
Player | Total |
McIlroy |
-10 |
An |
-9 |
Hatton |
-9 |
Kim |
-9 |
Two players tied |
-8 |
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 2 Summary
Rory McIlroy holed a 5ft par putt on his final hole to take a one shot lead into the weekend of the Scottish Open. The morning starters enjoyed the better of it, with rain coming in during the afternoon.
Notable Round 2 Genesis Scottish Open Quotes
"Ball-striking. You probably saw a little bit yesterday where I was fatting a few shots. I said earlier I was hitting balls off mats last week, and even though I got here Monday night, even by yesterday, I still had not managed to get the ball first. We managed to do that today and hopefully that continues this weekend." Tyrrell Hatton
" So I am comfortable, no doubt. I'm comfortable here at the Renaissance and I should know month are about this golf course than nearly any other player. Maybe Stevie Gallacher would know a little bit more, but I'm very familiar." Padraig Harrington
" So really, just embrace the conditions and just sort of make the best of them. But you know, I know that I'm playing well enough tee-to-green to give myself some looks and hang in there, so I'm pretty confident going into the next two days no matter what the weather throws at us." Rory McIlroy
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 3 Weather
Mostly cloudy with scattered late AM and PM showers and thunderstorms. Wind 12-18mph.
Back or Fade The Favourite?
Rory McIlroy remains 9/4 favourite, and we are less keen to take him on tomorrow with tee times moved back to the morning. Conditions should be favourable with the course playing soft and calm winds. We expect Rory to bounce back from his disappointing finish but Sunday he may be worth taking on with winds of 25-30mph forecast.
In-Play Genesis Scottish Open Bets We Considered
With the expectation that McIlroy or Hatton produces a low round tomorrow, we are keen to play for the four places available, with plenty of three figure prices tempting us. We did consider Wyndham Clark and Viktor Hovland at 55-60/1 as we expect them to move up the leaderboard but they may have their work cut out to catch the leaders and we are keen to take bigger prices with Sunday's forecast.
Genesis Scottish Open Round 3 Bets
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13th July 2023, 8pm (UK time)
Player | Total |
Hun An |
-9 |
Riley |
-7 |
McIlroy |
-6 |
Detry |
-6 |
Two players tied |
-5 |
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 1 Summary
Byeong Hun An tied the course record in the morning with a 61, overshadowing Rory McIlroy's 64. Davis Riley was the best afternoon performer, shooting 63, but no one was able to match Hun An despite stiller conditions in the afternoon.
Notable Round 1 Genesis Scottish Open Quotes
"I love it. I started on The Challenge Tour playing links course and played The Open many times. I like links golf. It's different than the courses we play in the U.S. You just have to land it in different spots. I really like it and as long as the weather is nice, and I prefer warm weather but a links course, I feel comfortable. It can get tricky hitting shots into but I think I did well today." Byeong Hun An
" As firm as it gets, you can utilise some slopes. That's the best part about it is there's a million a different ways to hit the shot right in front of you and that's what's so fun about it. That part today, I enjoyed, and I think that was a big part of the reason I played well." Davis Riley
" But I feel like my game is definitely in better shape than the last couple times I have played The Scottish Open. Great start. Controlled my ball nicely. Got off to a fast start obviously and the wind was getting up, and yeah, it was good. There was still a few things that I feel like I can improve on but at the end of the day, it's a great start, and I would have taken it before I teed off today." Rory McIlroy
2023 Genesis Scottish Open Round 2 Weather
Few AM showers, then mainly cloudy with rain developing in afternoon. Wind 6-15mph with the morning starters enjoying the best of the conditions.
Back or Fade The Favourite?
Rory McIlroy is a best price 7/2 favourite, which is a price that simply has to be taken on in our opinion. He will face the tougher of the conditions and even if he is to remain in contention, the wild weather expected on Sunday doesn't play into his hands. It was his putter rather than his approach play which built his score today and he will be more than happy with a top 10 finish to warm himself up for next week.
In-Play Genesis Scottish Open Bets We Considered
We are targeting early starters tomorrow morning given the forecast and history of big comebacks here. Our preview highlighted that none of the four previous champions at The Renaissance have been inside the top 26 after Round 1 and last years winner Xander Schauffele was ELEVEN shots back after round one. Max Homa and Rickie Fowler have to be given consideration, as does Davis Riley in the 16/1 range, but whether we can back anyone at that price with the weekend forecast is questionable.
Genesis Scottish Open Round 2 Bets
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