Scottish Open Tips: Renaissance days for Herbert and Van Rooyen

Matt Cooper
05 July 2022
4:00 min read

Erik Van Rooyen has a fine record on linksland.

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Matt Cooper landed the 1-2 in last week's LIV Golf Invitational Portland and he's back with three combinations in the Scottish Open Top Finish markets...

"Van Rooyen’s played the Renaissance twice. He was 14th in 2019 when opening with a pair of 64s for the halfway lead, then tied sixth in 2020."
Lucas Herbert & Erik Van Rooyen top 20s 2pts @ 24.023/1

The Renaissance period marked Europe's transition from the Middle Ages to the modernity, a time marked by a fondness for classicism and the rediscovery of Greek philosophy.

As the DP World Tour joins forces with the PGA Tour for the newly co-sanctioned Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, however, the sport's state is more akin to the Dark Ages.

The shadow of LIV Golf and their lawyers looms over the linksland so cheer yourself up with the new possibility of placing multiples in the top five, top 10 and top 20 markets.

Here are five players with live chances of getting involved at the top of the leaderboard and three combinations of multiples.

Lucas Herbert - top 20 @ 3.7511/4

Aussie Lucas Herbert very nearly won this event back in 2020 when tipped by the column and it was an extraordinary bid.

He raced into a one-shot halfway lead, then endured a terrible third round of 79, whereupon he launched an outrageous bid to win all the same, eventually carding a Sunday 65 for tied fourth.

A year later he was again fourth, an effort built around a fine 64 in the third round that was quite a contrast to the previous year.

The good form by the sea was no surprise because he's landed top 10s by the sea at Verdura, Dom Pedro and in the Dunhill Links. His maiden wins either side of the Atlantic also came at a windy Dubai Desert Classic and in a gusting Bermuda Championship.

He warmed up for this week with tied ninth on defence of the Irish Open last week.

Erik Van Rooyen - top 20 @ 6.511/2

Four years ago I fluked my way to a nice bit of pre-Open info when I got chatting to the staff in a Carnoustie delicatessen. I only went in search of a punnet of strawberries and an Americano, but left with my bet of the week, discovering that Erik Van Rooyen, already proven on the linksland, had spent three days in town the previous month getting to know the course, had become a regular in the deli and cheerily let everyone know he loved it and the track.

I backed him at an enormous price each-way in the first round leader market and top 10 and top 20 in the outright; he was second in the former, landed the latter and, off the back of four missed cuts, he's a big price again this week.

He's played the Renaissance twice. He was 14th in 2019 when opening with a pair of 64s for the halfway lead, then tied sixth in 2020 and, in the 2018 Scottish Open, he carded a second round 64 at Dundonald Links, not quite enough to make the cut after a first round 73 that was the result of nearly winning on the links in Ireland the week before.

He'd led by four shots heading into the last day at Ballyliffin before finishing fourth and two weeks later came the T14th at Carnoustie. A year on he was T20th at Royal Portrush.

He hasn't played since the US Open so has had time to address his form struggles and a return to linksland, which he clearly enjoys (he was even T12th at Yas Links at the start of the year), could propel him back into the top 20.

Back Lucas Herbert & Erik Van Rooyen for a top 20 double @ 24.0

24.0

Robert MacIntyre - top 20 @ 4.03/1

The first genuine sign that Scotland had a new talent on its hands came when Robert MacIntyre grabbed second place at Hillside in the 2019 British Masters and two months later he added tied sixth in Royal Portrush at the Open.

ROBERT MACINTYRE.jpg

In 2020 he had only one opportunity on the links and finished T14th at The Renaissance. He added T18th a year later, one week before grabbing tied eighth in the Open at Royal St. George's.

He has home pressure to deal with, but he's a down-to-earth character and clearly likes the seaside test.

Matt Kuchar - top 20 @ 5.04/1

He hasn't played for a month, but veteran Matt Kuchar is actually in quite a nice run of form that includes 13 cuts made in his last 16 starts.

More recently he's made seven straight weekends and four times landed a top 20.

In this event, he's got an excellent record when it is played by the sea.

He was T10th at Castle Stuart, second at Gullane, fourth at Dundonald Links and T20th at Renaissance three years ago. His only failure to make the top 20 on linksland was a second visit to Gullane.

His links savvy is reiterated by Open top 20s at Royal Lytham, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale and Carnoustie.

Back Robert MacIntyre & Matt Kuchar in a top 20 double @ 20.0

20.0

Matthew Jordan - top 20 @ 11.010/1

The Englishman Matthew Jordan is based at Royal Liverpool so it is little surprise that much of his best golf has come by the seaside.

In one of his early ventures onto the DP World Tour as an invitee he carded a 67 and 66 in the Dunhill Links and a year later he opened 66-64 to lead at halfway in the same event before landing tied fifth.

In-between those efforts he led the British Masters at Hillside after a 63 and logged T15th at the end of the week.

In his rookie campaign on the DP World Tour he captured top 25s at links-like 13th Beach, Al Mouj and Fairmont St Andrews.

Then last season he was T18th in this event, sixth back at Fairmont St Andrews and he very nearly made a winning breakthrough at Doha earlier this year - not a links track but a layout that has always favoured quality seaside performers.

Back Lucas Herbert, Erik Van Rooyen & Matthew Jordan top 20s treble 0.5pt @ 260.0

260.0

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