RADIO
TourPicks ranks his top-10 Players to watch for at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open and The Renaissance Club. His insights on the top-10 golfers for the week and reasons why they are primed to win.
The PGA Tour takes its annual mid-summer voyage overseas as top players look to acquire some form and reps playing links golf as they make final preparations for the 2025 Open Championship. The Renaissance Club will once again host the Genesis Scottish Open on a new age Tom Doak design in North Berwick, Scotland in what has proven to be a challenging test for pros when the weather cooperates.
In this article, given the historical context and data, I'll break down my Top 10 Power Rankings for players based on recent form and specific player profiles that I believe are the best data-driven fits for The Renaissance Club. With data from the last six years, we should be able to identify specific skill sets that have proven successful, with an outlook on which players are best suited to win in 2025.
Let’s get right into my Top 10 Power Rankings for the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open:
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Which player are you most looking forward to seeing in action?! 💬#RolexSeries #FedExCup pic.twitter.com/H798indJoc
— Genesis Scottish Open (@ScottishOpen) June 30, 2025
No. 10 - Ryan Fox
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Terrific recent form for Fox that includes two wins this season, most recently at the RBC Canadian Open just three starts ago.
- A links-golf connoisseur. Fox understands the nuances and style that successful golf in Scotland often rewards.
- He's an aggressive player who will fit well on this Driver-heavy course, but his recently improved Approach play is what landed him on my Top-10 list this week.
No. 9 - Viktor Hovland
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A surprising WD from the Travelers Championship with a neck injury wasn't enough to keep Hovland of my Top-10 list. He has posted videos practicing and working on a full swing with the Driver since. No concerns there for me.
- Iron play has been incredibly good over his last 5 starts. He gained +6.3 on Approach at the U.S. Open and was striking it great before withdrawing in Connecticut.
- Still waiting on the emergence of a hot putter. Golf in UK may spark a resurgence on the greens, which is all he needs to compete.
Viktor Hovland (neck) hitting driver again ahead of next week's Scottish Open.pic.twitter.com/uCyHejkl23
— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) July 3, 2025
No. 8 - Ludvig Aberg
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The world's #10-ranked player needs a kickstart to his summer. The Swedish star has had a few weeks off overseas to get his game right for this upcoming stretch.
- Ranks 5th in SG: Total on comp-Links courses over the last 3 years. Aberg is the prototype when things are clicking.
- T4 at the Genesis Scottish Open last season, where he gained strokes in all four major categories at this course.
No. 7 - Corey Conners
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More disappointing injury concerns have tampered expectations for Conners, who was placing great golf before a wrist injury that occurred a month ago at the U.S. Open. All indications at this point are that Conners should be full strength.
- Conners ranks inside the Top 10 in recent SG: Total, Approach, and OTT metrics.
- Back-to-back finishes inside the Top 20 of the Scottish Open in the last two years, his Ballstriking was excellent and actually putted quite well also.
No. 6 - Xander Schauffele
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Still ranked #3 in the world, it's time to get his season going. He's going to defend the Claret Jug next week at Royal Portrush. Go time!
- Schauffele showed glimpses of improved iron play at the U.S. Open and Memorial. He'll need to continue to build confidence with his irons as it has been the last part of his game to return to form post-injury earlier this season.
- Excellent big tournament and links pedigree. Schauffele won the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open by 1 stroke over Kurt Kitayama in 2022 at The Renaissance Club.
No. 5 - Collin Morikawa
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T4 at this tournament last season. Morikawa has the Ballstriking prowess to compete anywhere and especially at a course that yields only 52% fairways in regulation.
- His game is built on precision, which often aligns properly with Links' style golf. Unique bunkering and challenging fescue can be unpredictable for those with less accuracy.
- Morikawa can't seem to get out of his own way with the media. Maybe a trip across the pond will relieve some pressure and allow him to optimize his potential amidst caddie changes and questionable quotes.
No. 4 - Robert MacIntyre
- The hometown hero is the defending Champion and built for Scottish golf. A dramatic long birdie putt on the 72nd hole won him this tournament in 2024.
- MacIntyre also finished solo 2nd at this event in 2023. He's been there early prepping for this week, and his combined score of -32 under par over the past two seasons at the Scottish Open is untouched.
- Terrific incoming form as well, MacIntyre has finished inside the Top 20 in four of his last five PGA Tour starts.
Canny beat some links golf 🏴 pic.twitter.com/XSiRBMVOGt
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) July 3, 2025
No. 3 - Tommy Fleetwood
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The monkey on his back to win on the PGA Tour is a bit lighter this week in the UK, where Fleetwood has won seven times on the DP World Tour in Europe.
- Let's be honest, he should have won the Travelers Championship. Fleetwood finished T2 and now has two Top 4 finishes in his last four starts.
- T6 at this event in 2023 and T4 in 2022. He's a links golf specialist who should find himself with a late tee time on the weekend.
No. 2 - Rory McIlroy
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McIlroy has worked out some of the kinks with the new Driver, his ultimate weapon. He gained +6.2 strokes OTT at the U.S. Open a few weeks ago.
- Leveraging this week at the Renaissance Club as his final prep for Royal Portrush, which has been marked on the calendar for McIlroy all year.
- Won this tournament in 2023 with a final score of -15 under par. He's still having himself a historic season and must be considered a favorite to win again before the year ends.
When Rory McIlroy won the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open is true Rory McIlroy fashion 🤩pic.twitter.com/FMkntQdATs
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 30, 2025
No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler
- Surprisingly elected to skip this event last year, but a T3 in 2023 shows a baseline understanding of how to attack The Renaissance Club.
- Ranks Top 5 in three major categories. OTT and APP were a given, but the shocking one is Putting. When Scheffler rolls it well on the greens, the train is almost impossible to stop.
- Incredible form at other recent Doak designs, such as Memorial Park. Scheffler is a near-perfect course fit. As long as he doesn't get unlucky with a bad weather wave, he has a great chance to head into the final Major of the season with another victory under his belt.
Enjoy the Genesis Scottish Open, and thanks for reading! Good luck, RotoBaller family!
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