Put on your tartans, pour your whisky and prepare for entertaining golf ahead at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open! Top golfers from around the PGA Tour and DP World Tour will compete against each other and hone their skills on the links before The Open Championship next week.
But while this tournament may serve as a tune-up, The Renaissance Club is packed with opportunities for trouble, and the coastal weather of North Berwick, Scotland, adds another layer of unpredictability.
The Genesis Scottish Open will put golfers to the test, but the cream will rise to the top!
(Odds and salaries courtesy of DraftKings)
Can Robert MacIntyre Win Back-to-Back? | Genesis Scottish Open 2025 Bets
Course Layout
A modern links-style course, the 2025 Scottish Open will be held at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. The course is a par 70, with 7,237 yards on red fescue fairways and greens, with an unusual mix of three par-5s, five par-3s and 10 par-4s.
Course Strategy
The Renaissance Club is a hard but gettable course. There are big defenses of deep pot bunkers and long native areas, which will be crucial to avoid. As a links-style course, the greens are larger compared to the PGA Tour standard, but fescue grass is a different beast for putting and will play very differently from the last few tournaments.
Players with experience on hard surfaces should have an advantage here, especially in managing rollout on drives and approach shots. Prowess around the green is one of the most directly correlated stats to success here, and consistent performance getting up and down is a must this week.
That said, the most important thing to monitor ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open is the North Sea weather. While the forecast has predominantly called for mid to high 60s and sunny, the coastal area is known for the weather changing on a dime. If it stays nice, expect the best ball-strikers to show out with birdies and low scores abounding, but prepare for a slogfest if the forecast sours.
Building Our Betting Model
- Strokes Gained: Total
- Stroked Gained: Around-the-Green
- Driving Distance
- Birdie-or-Better Percentage
- Bogey Avoidance
Players to Target for Genesis Scottish Open 2025:
Rory McIlroy (+800)
Rory McIlroy has done it here before, and he is best poised to get it done again this year. While it may not be the walloping he accomplished in 2023, he also finished top five last year, and he can easily win the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open. The Northern Irish golfer has more experience with links-style golf, plus familiarity with this course and its harsh environs.
In addition, McIlroy gets good length off the tee and maintains a solid short game, both of which will be important. Not many appreciate his creativity in tough situations, but that could serve him well here with dangerous hazards. He’s been doing it at the highest level for a decade, and McIlroy is a solid bet to win the Scottish Open once again.
Scottie Scheffler (+360)
Scottie Scheffler may be the betting favorite this week, but that just means the pressure is on. Although he finished third in 2023, Scheffler has yet to show a true aptitude for links golf. He’s certainly no slouch, but his style is better suited for more manicured parkland courses.
With unpredictable red fescue grass and even less predictable weather patterns likely coming into play, conditions will heavily impact how he performs. Scheffler also isn’t the best sand player, nor is his game around the green suited to this course. That said, he’s Scottie Scheffler, and he can win any week he plays.
Sam Burns (+4000)
Hungry for a victory and starting to heat up for the season, Sam Burns has all the skills to make a statement at the Scottish Open. Rating out at fifth in the model, Burns has a propensity to get birdies by the bunches. He has a great short game and excellent putting abilities, ranking first in three-putt avoidance. The Louisiana native is proficient in sand, and recent improvements to his iron game bode well. Especially considering the odds, Burns is a great value for a win this week.
Robert MacIntyre (+3000)
Can “Bobby Mac” go back-to-back? With a win in 2024 and a second-place finish at the US Open in June, it’s not out of the question for Robert MacIntyre to follow up his win at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open with another one this year. He’s playing great golf this year, and he has a proven history on this course, making MacIntyre a juicy bet to consider.
Other Outrights To Consider:
- Harry Hall (+6500): Hot off six consecutive top 20 finishes, Harry Hall is one to watch. He is a birdie-making master, ranking third for overall strokes gained on par-3s, and his putter is currently on fire, coming in at second in three-putt avoidance behind Burns. Especially if the weather turns south, hammer the bets on Hall, as he actually plays better by certain metrics when the weather gets worse.
- Si Woo Kim (+7500): Despite a poor showing last week, Si Woo Kim can rebound. He is an elite ball striker, gaining strokes consistently on approach and around the green. Unfortunately, his putter is currently cold, and it’s been affecting his overall performance. However, he was putting decently earlier in the season and just needs to get it back on track. If he can pull the putting together, Kim rates out second in the model this week, and he can easily win the Scottish Open.
Longshots To Consider:
- Bud Cauley (+11000): Coming off a serious car accident and resulting injuries, Bud Cauley is back with a vengeance. He performs equally well in all conditions, and although he fumbled last week in the approach game, he typically does well in that category, ranking seventh in overall ball-striking. Cauley has high marks in birdie-or-better percentage and is a prolific par-5 scorer, which will serve him well on this course. While his skills around the green can be touchy at times, he’s been flat as of late, and as long as he can keep his putting solid, Cauley is a decent longshot.
- Jordan Smith (+11000): A proven winner, Jordan Smith has the skills to win the Genesis Scottish Open, ranking 12th in driving accuracy and fifth in greens in regulation gained among the DP World Tour. Like others, his putting abilities can be suspect at times, but Smith’s overall accuracy and ball-striking ability, along with experience on these kinds of courses, will put him in contention.
- Haotong Li (+12000): Haotong Li may be flying under the radar, but that likely won’t stay for long. He’s solid off the tee and can get scorching hot on approach, avoiding bogeys and making birdies consistently. With lights-out putting and wins on both Tours under his belt, Li is an exciting player to watch and an extreme value for betting on both an outright win and a top 20 finish.
Good luck this week! Thanks for checking out our PGA Tour picks & predictions for who wins the Genesis Scottish Open 2025.
Be sure to check out our golf crew every week on the 19th Hole for more golf betting and DFS analysis!
*Photo Credit: Raymond Carlin III – USA Today Sports*
