The PGA TOUR begins the European swing at the Genesis Scottish Open, the links-style lead up tournament prior to the British Open, the final major of the season.
Most of the games top stars are in the field, which is led by odds-on favorite Scottie Scheffler, with McIlroy, Cantlay, Hovland, Schauffele, Homa, Fowler and Spieth featured in Scotland as well.
Coming off our Sepp Straka spoils at 50/1 to win the John Deere Classic, let’s try to go for the European double from the Home of Golf.
Tournament Notes:
Dates: July 13-16
Golf Course: The Renaissance Club in Scotland
Course Notes: Par 70 / 7,237 Yards
Prize Money / 1st: $8M / $1.4M
Defending Champ: Xander Schauffele (+1800)
Gator Wagers Best Bets
Tournament Winner / Top 10 Finish
🇺🇸 Jordan Spieth +2200 / +240
We’re riding the Spieth roller coaster across the Atlantic. Why? Spieth is a very underrated links golfer. The #30 player in the FedEx Cup standings finished T10 at last seasons edition of the Scottish Open. He’s also 9/9 in cuts made at the British Open, with a win, and five top 10’s at a variety of links courses. Jordan is having an above-average season putting, ranks #43 on TOUR in “Scrambling” (key for links golf), and is #21 in “Strokes Gained – Total”. Spieth is due for a win.
🇰🇷 Tom Kim +5000 / +450
One of my favorites on TOUR, young Tom Kim returns to The Renaissance Club with excellent history, with a solo third finish at last seasons’ Scottish Open, scaring the leaders with a 67 on Sunday. Now that Kim has played a majority of a PGA schedule, he’s no longer a course neophyte at most of the properties played on TOUR. The #25 ranked golfer in the FedEx standings has vaulted to #10 on TOUR in “Strokes Gained – Approach To Green” and #7th in “Driving Accuracy”. If the putter catches heat, Kim poses a major threat this weekend.
🇩🇰 Rasmus Hojgaard +7500 / +650
Scottish Open always feature one or two European contenders who play a lot more links golf than most PGA players (think M.W Lee), so why not invest in the young great Dane who just won on the DP World Tour this past weekend? Hojgaard, ranked #20 in the DP Tour standings, is on Ryder Cup watch and is loaded with confidence entering Scotland. He finished 10th in his only appearance at the Renaissance Club in 2022. He’d love to gain full-time PGA TOUR membership, which is exactly what he’d get with a win this weekend.
🇸🇪 Alexander Bjork +11000 / +850
Speaking of a European on a heater, it’s hard to find many golfers on any tour playing more consistently well than Alexander Bjork. The 33rd year old Swedish ace plays exclusively on the DP World Tour, so many of the American audience may not be as familiar. His past four tournaments are a T6, T9, T8, T4, with three straight final rounds in the 60’s. He’s ranked #12th in the DP Tour standings. Bjork’s pedigree on links courses and recent form make him worth the gamble at more than 100/1.
The odds you see above were posted on DraftKings on Monday July 10, 2023
Betting odds subject to change