Gather around boys and girls because the best players in the world are coming together, and it's not in a major championship. The 2026 Scottish Open -- a co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour -- will welcome players from both circuits as well as a few from LIV Golf who call the DP World Tour a second home.
While World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2 Rory McIlroy return to action and kick off their links-golf season, Jon Rahm is a presence that cannot be overlooked. Not seen since an early exit at the U.S. Open, the two-time major champion has made peace with the DP World Tour and hopes to make an impression at The Renaissance Club in his first start in the tournament since 2022.
"It's just another event," Rahm said. "Just happy that the DP World Tour let me have the opportunity and that I can be here and play what's not only a great week but a great golf course, great crowd. It's one of my favorite weeks, so it's really fun to be here again."
David Puig and Tyrrell Hatton are fellow members of LIV Golf set to tee it up, while former tournament champions like Chris Gotterup, Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele, Min Woo Lee and PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai are all set to headline the action.
While one eye will be on the Scottish Open crown, the other will be on next week's Open at Royal Birkdale. It is there where players such as Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg will hope to breakthrough for their first major title.
But first, they will have to deal with one of the strongest fields of the season at The Renaissance Club -- a golf course designed by Tom Doak a couple of decades ago with a few holes on the water and with some links-golf quality, albeit not the full-blown test players can expect at The Open.
"The Scottish Open has a lot of history," Hovland said. "There are great champions here that have won this tournament. Yeah, we all really want to win this event, and the next week, as well. Obviously next week is the big one. But to reiterate Jon [Rahm's] point, this does feel like two really big events back-to-back, and there's also other excitement coming to play links golf.
"I think it's one of the most fun ways to play golf. So any time you get to do that in a tournament, I think adds another element to it."
2026 Scottish Open schedule
Dates: July 9-12
Location: The Renaissance Club -- North Berwick, Scotland
Par: 70 | Yardage: 7,282 | Architect: Tom Doak
Purse: $9,000,000
2026 Scottish Open field, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Scottie Scheffler (5-1): Since major championship commenced, Scheffler has played in eight tournaments. The world No. 1 has four runner-up results, two other top-five finishes and no worse than his T14 at the PGA Championship. Still, though, he looks for his first win since the first tournament of his season. His links golf record is fabulous with a couple top-10 finishes at the Scottish Open to go along with his Claret Jug from last year. Scheffler has never putted these greens well, which is something to keep an eye on.
- Rory McIlroy (9-1): The cadence is confirmed with McIlroy's start -- major championship, big-time event, major championship, big-time event and so forth. That has been his schedule ever since he slipped on the green jacket as he has completed just six tournaments since the start of March. The results have been somewhat forgettable since the defense at Augusta National, but this is a prime place for him to flip the script with finishes of T2, T4, WIN the last three trips.
- Jon Rahm (13-1): He answered plenty of questions about the state of the broader game in his press conference as he tries to answer questions about the state of his game this week. A two-hour stretch was his undoing at the U.S. Open amid a season where he has won twice and finished runner-up five times on LIV Golf. The iron play has largely been stellar for the Spaniard as his slight inconsistencies can be chalked up to his play on and around the greens.
- Xander Schauffele (19-1): It's been a season where his floor has been tested and his ceiling has been largely non-existent. Schauffele has three top-15 finishes in the three major championships and four such finishes in regular PGA Tour events (including the Players). Schauffele is driving the ball well but has failed to piece the rest of his game together for the entirety of a tournament. This could be a good spot where that comes to an end, as he won in 2022 and contended the last two years.
- Ludvig Åberg (21-1)
- Tommy Fleetwood (21-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (22-1)
- Chris Gotterup (26-1)
- Wyndham Clark (31-1): Will the time off cool off his game or will it serve him well? The U.S. Open champion was impressive at the Travelers Championship where he finished T5 the week following his triumph at Shinnecock Hills. The putter carried the weight, and if it does again he may be able to mirror his recent results at The Renaissance Club where he has four top-25 finishes in four starts.
- Tyrrell Hatton (31-1)
2026 Scottish Open Classic picks
| Winner (22-1): Seems to be peaking at the exact right time. Fitzpatrick has found the top five in two of his last three starts with a contention run at the U.S. Open sandwiched in between. His history at The Renaissance Club is near spotless with a playoff loss to Lee in 2021 accompanied by two other top-10 finishes in his last four appearances. The iron play, the chipping and pitching and a new driver in the bag have sured up his tee to green numbers and he has shown an affinity for these putting surfaces throughout the years. | |
| Contender (26-1): Now three times a winner on the PGA Tour this season, the defending champion looks to recreate the magic from last season where he fended off McIlroy en route to victory. Gotterup did not have his A game at the John Deere Classic and still emerged victorious, showing a different layer of his game in the process. He is driving it great, putting it just as well and found something with his scoring clubs on Sunday at TPC Deere Run. | |
| Sleeper (125-1): A bit surprised he has not done better around these parts, but Wallace's game could change that this week. He arrives having just finished runner up at the Italian Open and forgoing Open qualifying for the John Deere Classic where once again his iron play shined. Wallace is a proven winner on the DP World Tour and is striking the ball as well as anyone the last couple of months. | |
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