Five Australasians using Scottish Open as Royal Portrush tune-up
Adam Scott during his near miss last year – image DP World Tour
With just over a week to go until the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, this week’s Genesis Scottish Open takes on greater significance for those looking to fine-tune their games ahead of the final major of the year, and five Australasians are taking the opportunity to do just that.
The Renaissance Club in North Berwick has played host to the event for the past six years, three of those jointly sanctioned by both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour with players enjoying the opportunity to use the Scottish Open as an introduction to links style golf for the first time this year ahead of one of the great links courses in Northern Ireland next week.
Xander Schauffele, who won this event in 2022 and finished 15th last year ahead of his Open Championship win, perhaps described it best as an American playing in a somewhat foreign playing environment.
“I think it’s massive across the board,” said the current world number 3. “Just hard to replicate any sort of tournament feel back home in the States where you can hit an iron, the same club, a difference of 50 to 60 yards just based on how you hit it or what kind of wind you get.
“There’s only one way to get that done, and it’s coming over here. And whether it’s hitting drivers in crosswinds or getting used to a different bounce with your wedge or trying to hit it over those big lips that you guys have over here, it’s a lot of fun to prepare that way.”
Ryan Fox heads the Australasians in terms of world ranking, the New Zealander having played this event well in previous years, although those efforts were before it moved from the nearby Gullane Golf Club.
Fox will be joined by Adam Scott, his fellow New Zealander Daniel Hillier, Elvis Smylie and PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips. although Vilips has yet to earn a place in the field for next week.
Perhaps surprisingly, former winner of the event Min Woo Lee and Jason Day are not teeing it up ahead of the Open Championship, preferring to prepare elsewhere.
The defending champion this week is Robert McIntyre, who overcame the disappointment of a narrow loss to Rory McIlroy in 2023 to defeat Adam Scott by one shot last year.
The leading five players in the current world ranking are in the field, Scottie Scheffler looking to improve on is 3rd place finish at the Renaissance in his last start here in 2023 while Rory McIlroy not only won in 2023 he finished 4th last year suggesting he, too, will be a force to be reckoned with.
