Scottish Open Returns With World Top 2 and Jon Rahm in $9 Million Field

Q: How will returning to the 2019 course layout impact the tournament's notoriously dramatic finish?

Returning to the 2019 routing is expected to make the Scottish Open’s finish even more volatile and harder to protect. Tournament officials changed the sequence specifically to create “much more drama,” and players including Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland have said the new closing stretch should produce a better finish. The key impact is where the risk-and-reward holes now fall. A short, potentially drivable par-4 becomes the 14th, giving contenders a late chance to attack for birdie or eagle. The new 15th, a short par-3 with stadium-style seating, should add pressure as well as atmosphere. After that, the course turns severe: the 16th is now a long par-4 that has ranked among the toughest holes, and the 18th is consistently one of the hardest finishing holes on the property. That sequencing matters. Under the previous setup, players had more room to recover late, including a par-5 safety valve. In the restored 2019 order, the last realistic scoring chances come before a punishing final stretch, meaning leaders will have to decide whether to press at 14 and 15 or try to survive 16 through 18. That should increase swings on the leaderboard rather than reduce them. It also improves the spectacle. The rerouting brings decisive holes closer to the clubhouse and fan areas, especially around the new stadium 15th, which should intensify the Sunday atmosphere. On a course already known for one-shot margins and playoffs, the revised layout is designed to amplify the drama, not soften it.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 8

The 2026 Genesis Scottish Open tees off this week at The Renaissance Club, with defending champion Chris Gotterup back after winning at 15-under last year.
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm headline a co-sanctioned PGA Tour and DP World Tour field that also includes LIV player Tyrrell Hatton ahead of next week's Open Championship.
The North Berwick links-style venue is framed as a final major tune-up, with wind, pot bunkers and large undulating greens expected to test a stacked international field.
Betting interest in the event centers on Ludvig Aberg, Hatton, Nicolai Hojgaard, Jake Knapp and Eugenio Chacarra, with Hatton highlighted as a one-and-done pick.