Scottish Open Best Bets: Here's Why It's Rory's Turn to Get Back in the Winner's Circle

It may be easy to look ahead to the Open Championship, but this week’s Scottish Open is quickly becoming one of the premier events on the professional golf calendar. The field is incredibly deep and even deeper thanks to the co-sanctioned nature of this event. That means players like Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed can compete this week without having a PGA TOUR card.

The Renaissance Club will host for the eighth consecutive year and will serve as the backdrop for this national open. As if there wasn’t enough drama and intrigue surrounding this event, it also will serve as the last chance for golfers to qualify for next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Mother Nature will play a large role in this week’s tournament, with the difficulty of The Renaissance Club heavily tied to the coastal winds that she may kick up. We will build a card of golfers who can thrive in all types of conditions.

Winner: Rory McIlroy (+910)

Rory McIlroy hasn’t played much golf this year, with only 11 starts worldwide since the turn of the calendar. But when he has played, he’s been masterful. His year has obviously been highlighted by his second Masters victory, and his +1.84 strokes gained per round is nearly identical to each of his last two years.

He’s powered by one of the best drivers in the game, and the stats bear that out. He’s gained multiple strokes off-the-tee in eight straight events, which gives him a significantly high floor every time he tees it up. He’s used that skill set to obtain a top-5 finish in 25% of his starts this year.

Now, he’s returning to The Renaissance Club, where he’s gained +2.18 strokes per round in his five career trips — the highest rate of anyone in this field. The last three years have been even better, with McIlroy capturing a win, a T2 and a T4 finish. That equates to a +3.03 SG/round rate, which is firmly in the “dominance” department.

Top 5: Wyndham Clark (+550)

Clark is golf’s hottest player, and there’s no sign of him slowing down anytime soon. Since April 1, Clark has teed it up nine times. He’s earned seven top-20 finishes during that stretch, which includes four top-5s and, of course, his wins at the Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open.

He’s scorching right now thanks to the best putter in the game. During that same nine-event run, Clark has gained +1.22 strokes per round putting, which is by far the best in the world. Whether it’s for birdie or a momentum-saving par, Clark is draining nearly everything, and his confidence is building with every stroke.

If that wasn’t enough, Clark has found himself routinely in great position at The Renaissance Club. He’s played here four times and has earned a top-25 finish in all of them. He’s been propelled by gaining strokes off-the-tee in all four trips and also picking up nearly 13 strokes putting in his last eight rounds on these surfaces.

Top 10: Tom Kim (+550)

Tom Kim has been getting better nearly every time he tees it up, and now he will return to the friendly confines of The Renaissance Club. Kim is having the best year of his career since 2023, when he piled up eight top-10 finishes.

Kim contended deep into the Myrtle Beach Classic and the U.S. Open while putting together sustainable stat profiles in most of his starts this year. He’s been one of the better approach players on TOUR since the Phoenix Open, and now he’s starting to hit it more accurately off-the-tee.

The upturn in play couldn’t come at a better time as Kim returns to one of the best courses on the schedule for him. In four trips to The Renaissance Club, Kim has been excellent: 3rd, T6, T15 and T17. He’s gained over a stroke per round on approach, which is third behind only Tyrrell Hatton and Xander Schauffele among players with at least three starts here.

The Tom Kim redemption arc has been building for a few months now, and everything is coming together at the right time.

Top 20: Adam Scott (+205)

The ageless Adam Scott does not come with the same level of consistency that he did at many points in his career, but he still possesses the upside required to find himself on the first page of the leaderboard. His last eight starts alone help depict that truth. During that stretch, he has missed two cuts and finished 65th in a 72-player field. The other five, however, were all top-25s, with his best finish coming at the Cadillac Championship (T4).

The facet of his game that is keeping him from consistently contending is his putter. If there’s any reprieve, it may come at The Renaissance Club, where Scott has never lost strokes putting and has tallied more than nine strokes gained in his 10 rounds at this venue. He finished T17 last year and runner-up in 2024, so he’s certainly capable of putting it all together this week.

Top 20: Tyrrell Hatton (+142)

Thanks to the co-sanctioned nature of this event between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour, Tyrrell Hatton will be teeing it up this week. His 2026 campaign has been solid, as he’s routinely beaten up on his LIV peers to the tune of four top-10s in his nine starts.

Recently, it’s been even better. He won LIV Golf Andalucia, which was held at the infamous Real Club Valderrama. He then went to Shinnecock Hills and contended, ultimately finishing T7 and gaining strokes to the field on approach, around-the-green and with the putter.

Few are able to match Hatton’s record at The Renaissance Club, which dates back to when this was only a DP World Tour-sanctioned event. In four starts since 2019, Hatton has never finished outside the top 25 and is sporting a +1.68 SG/round rate. He’s been truly dominant from tee-to-green, ranking behind only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the category.