With just a week to go before the final Major of the season – The Open – golf’s finest will descend upon the Renaissance Club in North Berwick for the Scottish Open.
A true gem, the Scottish Open will be an eye-opener, especially for those who aren’t used to the beast that is links golf.
Bar Rory McIlroy, 14 of the world’s top 15 will line up in the field this week, and the Scottish Open is the third of five Rolex Series events staged by the DP World Tour. However, the Scottish Open has also teamed up with the PGA Tour, and there are FedEx points up for grabs, so there is plenty at stake.
While the Renaissance Club has earned a reputation for being a tough driving course, the average winning score has been 17 under. Min Woo Lee, meanwhile, will be looking to defend his title after claiming the spoils via a play-off 12 months ago.
This event will make for compelling viewing, especially as the cream of the crop fine-tune their preparations ahead of The Open. We have scoured the markets and handpicked a couple of tips for you to feast on ahead of the first round.
Justin Thomas to turn on the style
With one Major already under his belt this campaign, Justin Thomas is in fine fettle with The Open drawing ever closer. Thomas has a penchant for links courses. On his two previous events to the Renaissance Club in 2019 and 2021, Thomas recorded top-10 finishes, so there’s something about this course that suits his game.
Thomas is usually impeccable from tee to green, and as his PGA Tour stats show, he has great powers of recovery, ranking fifth for sand saves (64.89%). There are some great birdie opportunities, particularly on the front nine, where many of the holes are driveable.
Links golf requires a particular type of mindset, and patience is one of them. Thomas has this in abundance, and he will look to lay down a marker this week.
The American could well jump into the winner’s circle this week and he is trading at a shortish 12/1 with Paddy Power, which seems too good to ignore.
Cameron Smith to fly out of the traps
Naturally, the PGA Tour’s leading lights will garner the most attention at the Scottish Open, and Cameron Smith falls into that category. His victory at the Players Championship earlier this year was a watershed moment, and the Australian continues to go from strength to strength.
His putting is one of the strongest departments of the game, and he won’t want to give anything back to the course. Smith is gutsy and he already has two career DP World Tour wins under his belt, so he knows what to do to get the job done.
He could well have a productive week, and he could rattle off some birdies early doors. If you fancy Smith to be the first round leader, then he can be backed at a tempting-looking price of 40/1 with Coral.
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Genesis Scottish Open Golf
Cameron Smith could get off to a flying start on Thursday
At 40/1 a £10 bet would return £410
Scottish Open
July 07, 2022
7:15 am GMT+1
* Betting odds correct at the time of writing. All odds are subject to changes.
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