RADIO
As the 2023 season continues, the PGA Tour heads across the pond to Scotland for the Genesis Scottish Open. With the Open Championship on the horizon, many of the world's top golfers will be teeing it up this week in order to both prep for the year's last major championship and acclimate themselves to the European time zone. This will be the second consecutive year that the event will be held at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
In this article, you will find my 2023 Genesis Scottish Open Power Rankings, which digs into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the event. These players should be considered serious contenders at the Par 70, 7,237-yard Renaissance Club layout this week and are legitimate threats to take home the title won by Xander Schauffele in last year's edition of the Scottish Open.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, and course history. With a unique field of competitors and a golf course outside of the United States, the Genesis Scottish Open promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans.
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#10. Jordan Spieth
It's been a roller-coaster year for Jordan Spieth, as the Texan's 2023 has been marked by both highs (five top-five finishes) and lows (missed cuts in three of his last five starts).
It's fair to wonder if a wrist injury suffered in May - and forced him to withdraw from his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson event - has had lingering effects. However, Spieth looked healthy and sharp en route to a T5 at the Memorial just over a month ago.
He's historically displayed both a love of European conditions and the ability to raise his level of play when the Open Championship rolls around, regardless of his current form, with a pair of top-10s last year in the Genesis Scottish Open and Open Championship following a missed cut at the Travelers serving as the most recent example.
#9. Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman continues to be a hard-luck figure when it comes to getting a win, but Fleetwood has continually put himself in contention throughout 2023.
After suffering through a post-Covid-layoff slump, Fleetwood has rebounded nicely over the past 18 months. He's posted four top-five finishes already this year with a T5 at the U.S. Open that was powered by a blistering final-round 63 being the most recent.
He notched a T4 on this Renaissance Club layout in last year's Genesis Scottish Open and should be considered a serious contender this week.
#8. Wyndham Clark
The freshly-crowned U.S. Open champion is no one-hit wonder, as Clark's win earlier this year against an elite field at the Wells Fargo Championship indicates.
His talent has been well-known in golf circles for years and Clark has finally figured out the inconsistent iron play that's been his downfall in the past at the pro level. The 29-year-old has made an eye-popping leap with the irons in 2023 and currently ranks 24th on the PGA Tour in SG: Approach after finishing 173rd in that statistical category last year.
In addition to the vast improvement he's shown this year, Clark displayed an affinity for The Renaissance Club by posting a T16 in last year's edition of the Genesis Scottish Open.
#7. Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman is playing some of the finest golf of his career in 2023. Hatton has consistently displayed his upside this year, posting an eye-opening five top-five finishes to this point.
In addition to his all-world short game, his elite results can be attributed to his solidified ball striking. After finishing the 2021-22 season ranked 70th on the PGA Tour in SG: T2G, Hatton currently ranks ninth in the same category this season.
He's obviously well-versed in the demands of European golf and recorded a sturdy T24 in last year's Genesis Scottish Open.
#6. Viktor Hovland
It's been a tremendous season to this point for the likable 25-year-old Norwegian. After impressive finishes in the Players (T3), Masters (T7), and PGA Championship (T2), Hovland broke through with the biggest win of his promising career at the Memorial last month.
Two solid, if unspectacular, starts at the U.S. Open and Travelers have followed the triumph at Muirfield Village. Although he's been our of the spotlight a bit in recent weeks, we shouldn't sleep on a player that's gained an average of seven strokes T2G across his last five tournaments. Hovland missed the cut in last year's Genesis Scottish Open, but his skill set and overall form are reasons to be optimistic about better results in this edition of the Scottish.
Viktor Hovland beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff to win the Memorial Tournament for his fourth career PGA Tour win.https://t.co/wKKNy4kpNM
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 4, 2023
#5. Patrick Cantlay
The perma-flatlined American heads to Scotland in search of his first win in 2023. He's been close, with four top-five finishes already under his belt this year, including a T4 in his most recent start at the Travelers Championship.
Cantlay showed an affinity for this Renaissance Club layout last year, logging a T4 in the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open. The Californian has been virtually bulletproof from tee-to-green in 2023 and has gained strokes T2G in each of his last 10 starts.
#4. Xander Schauffele
The defending Genesis Scottish Open champion returns to The Renaissance Club in fine form. Schauffele has displayed his trademark elite consistency in recent months and comes into the week having logged top-25 finishes in eight consecutive starts. The Califonian's game has no real soft spots and he ranks fifth in this week's field in SG: Total, while standing third in SG: Ball Striking. The X-Man will obviously be comfortable at Renaissance Club and a successful title defense is a very real possibility this week.
Despite 'worst stuff this week' Xander Schauffele wins for third time in 14 days at Genesis Scottish Open: https://t.co/DtcUXcPAtO pic.twitter.com/13uowpKGz6
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 10, 2022
#3. Rickie Fowler
After playing beautifully throughout 2023, Fowler's long overdue wait to return to the winner's circle finally ended at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Those that have watched even a minimal amount of golf in 2023 know the win was no fluke, as Fowler has been trending in the right direction all year. The fan favorite has now gained strokes on Approach in 14 of 15 2023 starts. Among this week's entrants, he trails just Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in SG: T2G over the last 24 rounds.
#2. Rory McIlroy
The man from Northern Ireland returns to his home continent with eyes on his first major championship win since 2014. The Open returns to Royal Liverpool this year, the course on which McIlroy captured his only Open title nearly a decade ago.
He'll look to get things dialed in the Genesis Scottish Open, an event that he skipped last year. McIlroy crosses the pond with his game firing on all cylinders, as he's gained a ridiculous average of 9.6 strokes T2G over his last five tournaments, which included a heartbreaking runner-up at the U.S. Open.
#1. Scottie Scheffler
It's tough to make the argument that Scottie Scheffler is anything other than the best player in the field anytime he tees it up.
The Texan lands atop our Genesis Scottish Open Power Rankings thanks to his truly historical T2G prowess this season that's reminiscent of prime Tiger Woods. Scheffler leads this week's field in virtually every major statistical ball striking Strokes Gained category across both long and short-term measurements.
He's finished inside the top five in six consecutive tournaments and hasn't finished worse than tied for 12th since last October.
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