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Defending champ Robert [33/1] to challenge again
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Tournament and Course Notes
For a seventh straight year, Scotland's lucrative national open will take place at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. It will also be the fourth occasion in which the event is being co-sanctioned by both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
Seventeen of the world's top-25 golfers are teeing-up in East Lothian, for this Rolex Series event which has a total prize fund of $9m, of which more than $1.7m goes to the champion.
The Renaissance Club is located 20 miles east of Edinburgh and within close proximity to a host of other well-known links. One of these is The Open Championship venue Muirfield, which is barely a handful of miles to the south.
The Renaissance Club covers a 300-acre site and overlooks the south bank of the Firth of Forth. It was opened in April 2008, since when its routing has changed, following the purchase of additional land nearby.
It is a links course that has a little more vegetation than normal, as well as a scarcity of sand dunes. The venue's main defence is its heavily contoured putting surfaces, along with fluctuating coastal wind and tricky pot bunkers. There are no large water hazards on the course, although there is the occasional ditch.
Eight To Watch
Not surprisingly, Scottie Scheffler 7/24.50 and Rory McIlroy 15/28.50 are the two shortest-priced golfers in the field. McIlroy is a former champion here, while Scheffler's best performance at The Renaissance Club is tied-third.
For greater value, however, defending champion Robert MacIntyre 33/134.00 might be a better option. The Scot was runner-up in 2023 and appears to be in great shape for both this event and The Open Championship next week.
Tommy Fleetwood 22/123.00 also has a solid record at this venue but may still be suffering from the disappointment of not winning the Travelers Championship last month in Connecticut.
As for the American challenge, then how about Sam Burns 40/141.00 or Harris English 66/167.00? Both are in good form, with English currently ninth in this season's FedEx Cup standings.
Although neither has previously posted top 10s at The Renaissance Club, they know the layout reasonably well.
Two other pros to consider are Belgium's Thomas Detry 80/181.00 and Canadian Corey Conners 45/146.00.
The 32-year-old Detry, who resides in Dubai, claimed his maiden PGA Tour title in Arizona earlier this year and returns to a course where he has twice posted top-10 finishes.
Although an unlikely winner, he is definitely a strong each-way candidate at a venue where he lost a play-off four years ago.
As for Conners, he tied-10th here last year and is presently 13th in the FedEx Cup table for 2025. His accuracy off the tee will benefit him on a links course where his lack of length holds less importance.
Stroke Averages
Lowest 10 At The Renaissance Club (2019-24)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.36: Rory McIlroy (14)
67.83: Tom Kim (12)
68.00: Xander Schauffele (16)
68.10: Robert MacIntyre (20)
68.20: Andrew Putnam (10)
68.25: Tommy Fleetwood (20)
68.42: Wyndham Clark (12)
68.44: Romain Langasque (18)
68.45: Matt Fitzpatrick (22)
68.50: Thomas Detry (24)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table
MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves