Genesis Scottish Open DFS picks 2026: You might be surprised who has the best links golf resume in this field
The PGA Tour journeys overseas to the birthplace of golf for the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open. The Renaissance Club sits on 300 acres along the famed golf-playing coastline off the Firth of Forth in North Berwick, Scotland, adjacent to the storied links of Muirfield. Completed in 2008 by renowned architect Tom Doak, it was designed from the swath of an ancient pine forest. With only four holes by the ocean, undulating terrain, thick rough off the fairway and numerous wooded areas, the course is not a traditional links setup. But it does have links qualities with its seaside location, firm turf, and deep pot bunkers with riveted faces. And its greens encourage the use of the ground game.
It hasn’t always played as tough as a traditional links test, with calmer conditions and a lack of wind significantly softening the challenge and leading to lower scoring. With light winds in 2023 and 2024, the course played on the easy side at -1.29 per round. But when the coastal breezes blew in 2022 and last year with winds at 20-plus mph, scoring became much tougher, averaging +0.88 per round. With hardly any penalty for missing the fairway, the course favors length off the tee along with accurate long iron players who can flight their ball in the wind and avoid 3-putts on the huge, undulating greens.
Over the past decade, the club has become a mainstay in the Scottish golfing scene, having hosted five other Scottish Opens along with professional women’s and senior events. This tournament, along with the concurrent ISCO Championship in Kentucky, are the only co-sanctioned events between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
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World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy headline another loaded field that features six of the top ten players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Major champions Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick are all in attendance, while defending champion Chris Gotterup returns coming off his John Deere Classic triumph last week. European standouts Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai and Sepp Straka further strengthen a field that is arguably deeper than many Signature Events earlier in the season.
The co-sanctioned nature of the event also means several LIV Golf players return to compete against the PGA Tour’s best. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton headline that group, creating one of the few weeks each season where many of the game’s biggest stars share the same leaderboard outside of the majors.
Here are my favorite plays and fades in each price range for DraftKings contests for the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open.
Read The Line's Joe Idone and John Haslbauer break down Robert MacIntyre's secret to success at the Genesis Scottish Open:
$9,000+ range Play: Matt Fitzpatrick, $9,900Andrew Redington
Fitzpatrick has consistently contended at the Renaissance Club, recording three top 10 finishes, including a runner-up in 2021. He arrives in excellent form and will be looking to capture his fourth PGA Tour title of the 2026 season. While his elite short game has long been the foundation of his success, the biggest difference over the past year has been his approach play. The Englishman has developed into one of the best iron players in the world, gaining strokes on approach in 20 of his past 22 starts, making him an ideal fit for a course that consistently rewards elite ball-striking.
Play: Chris Gotterup, $9,300
Icon Sportswire
Gotterup joins Fitzpatrick as the only other player on tour with three victories during the 2026 season. Fresh off his win at the John Deere Classic, history suggests it's wise to ride the wave when his game catches fire. Earlier this year, he followed his victory at the Sony Open with another title just three weeks later at the Phoenix Open. Last season, he won the Genesis Scottish Open before carrying that form into a solo third place finish at The Open Championship the following week. The Renaissance Club also fits his game perfectly. Its generous landing areas reward his length off the tee, and his iron play has been remarkably consistent, with just two tournaments this season where he has lost strokes on approach.
Fade: Jon Rahm, $11,500Coming off a missed cut at the U.S. Open where he lost over three strokes on approach, Rahm returns to the Renaissance Club for the first time since 2022 when he finished T-55. With more than a month having passed since his last strong performance, combined with ongoing speculation surrounding his future with LIV Golf, it's fair to question whether his game is sharp enough to justify such a hefty salary. There are simply stronger options available in the $9K range.
RELATED: Genesis Scottish Open 2026: My power rankings for The Renaissance Club
$8,000+ range Play: Tyrrell Hatton, $8,900
David Cannon
Going back to 2021, Hatton has been the best links player in this field. His form over the past three months has been outstanding, ranking fourth in the field by gaining 2.15 strokes per round. During that stretch, he has recorded a T-3 at the Masters, a T-7 at the U.S. Open and a victory at LIV Andalucia. Hatton also finished sixth here in 2023, and with his combination of links pedigree and current form, he stands out as one of the best values on the slate.
Fade: J.J. Spaun, $8,500Outside of a T-23 finish at last year's Open Championship, Spaun has relatively little experience competing overseas. His track record at the Renaissance Club is also uninspiring, with a missed cut last year and a T-59 finish in 2022. While he has flashed upside at times this season, consistency has been a major issue. He has missed the cut in seven of the 12 events with a cut in 2026, including all three major championships.
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Golf Digest Logo The best courses in the United Kingdom and Ireland $7,000+ range Play: Kristoffer Reitan, $7,900
Andrew Redington
In his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Reitan has been one of the biggest surprises of the year. Long known as a bomber with a hot putter, he has elevated his iron play to another level, turning himself into a legitimate contender on an almost weekly basis. Over the past three months, he has recorded four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a victory at the Truist Championship.
The Renaissance Club also sets up perfectly for his skill set. Its generous fairways reward his length off the tee, while his long iron play and consistently strong putting are among his biggest strengths. After finishing 13th here last year, Reitan looks poised to contend once again.
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PreviousNextPausePlayfalseThe Renaissance Club North Berwick, Scotland In golf-rich East Lothian, an American family, the Sarvadis, leased land featuring 300 acres of pine trees planted by Britain’s Forestry Commission after World War II and hired Tom Doak to design a links-style course. Though over 8,000 tons of wood was cleared from the site, Doak kept a number of trees on the site until the club cut down more trees a few years after opening. The Renaissance Club traded some land with neighboring Muirfield, which Muirfield used to lengthen its ninth hole ahead of the 2013 Open Championship. Renaissance Club acquired some extra dunesland that Doak and his team incorporated into the current layout on its holes nine through 11 (holes 12 through 14). The land offers beautiful views of the Firth of Fourth, and the tumbling land provides a good links-like test ahead of The Open Championship each year. Explore our full review $6,000+ range Play: Jesper Svensson, $6,800
Minas Panagiotakis
Like Reitan, Svensson profiles as a prototypical bomber with an elite putter, making him another player whose strengths should translate well to the Renaissance Club. The wide landing areas allow him to unleash his driver, while his ability to capitalize on birdie opportunities with the putter gives him plenty of upside on a course that still rewards power.
The Swede also arrives in excellent form. After flashing upside throughout the season, he appears to have found another gear with a T-9 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson followed by a T-4 at the RBC Canadian Open. Over those two starts, he has consistently filled up the scorecard with low rounds while gaining strokes in every major category at the Canadian Open. A former DP World Tour regular, Svensson is also more comfortable than most in links style conditions, and that experience has shown at the Renaissance Club, where he has posted finishes of T-34 and T-43 while carding six under par rounds in eight attempts.
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Golf Digest Logo World's 100 Greatest Courses: 2026-2027 Ron Klos (@PGASplits101 on X) is a PGA Tour data analyst for Betsperts Golf.
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