Scottish Open PGA Tour Betting Picks: Time to Back Tom Kim?

There are two PGA Tour events this week with the ISCO Championship in Kentucky and the Scottish Open, but most of the world’s big-name golfers are playing the latter ahead of next week’s British Open that also will be held in the country with Rory McIlroy favoured on the golf odds for the Scottish Open.

This event is co-sponsored by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour for a third straight year with about 75 professionals teeing it up from each Tour. Other than LIV guys, one major notable player missing is world No. 1 and lock PGA Tour Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler as he is a new father. Scheffler, who has won six times this year, said he needed a break before playing the British Open, the Olympics in Paris, and the final three playoff events in the FedEx Cup race on the PGA Tour. A few other guys are opting to rest or practice on their own ahead of the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon.

The Renaissance Club, a par 70 links course at 7,237 yards, hosts the Scottish Open for the sixth time. It is located between North Berwick and Muirfield, both iconic British Open layouts. The defending champion is McIlroy, who hit one of the great shots of his career, a 2-iron approach into the wind to within about 10 feet of the pin on the 18th hole a year ago. He drained that birdie putt to finish at 15-under 265, one shot up on Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre — who won this year’s Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club for his first PGA Tour win.

That approach shot on the 18th hole has been memorialized with a plaque from the club. McIlroy became the first player ever to win the Scottish Open, British Open and Irish Open in his career among national opens (also has won the U.S. Open and Canadian Open). His Irish Open victory came in May 2016, and he won the British Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. No one has repeated at the Scottish Open.

PGA Scottish Open Golf Odds

It will be interesting to see the frame of mind of defending champion and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy as he hasn’t played since the U.S. Open when McIlroy led by two shots in the final round at 8 under before playing his final four holes at 3 over to finish one shot behind winner Bryson DeChambeau, who is of course on the LIV Tour. McIlroy has two PGA Tour wins this year and one on the DP World Tour in January.

American Xander Schauffele won here in 2022 at 7-under 273 and is +800 this week. He finished T42 last year and but has five straight Top-15 finishes on the PGA Tour this year, including winning the PGA Championship. Collin Morikawa (+1400) didn’t play here last year and didn’t contend the previous two years but did win the British Open in 2021 at Royal St. George’s, so he has had success on a links course. Morikawa hasn’t finished worse than 14th in his past five PGA Tour events this year.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and England’s Tommy Fleetwood are both +1800. Aberg missed the cut in his debut here last year but has six Top 10s on the PGA Tour in 2024. Fleetwood has been Top 6 in three of his past four trips to the Scottish Open, including a playoff loss to Aaron Rai in 2018. We liked Fleetwood to win last year when he finished T6 following a final-round 72.

No Canadians have won this event and not too many have played it. Nick Taylor and Corey Conners were both T19 last year, while Mackenzie Hughes missed the cut. Conners is +4000 this week with Adam Hadwin +10000, Hughes +15000 and Taylor +22500.

Scottish Open Golf Predictions

We like South Korean Tom Kim at +2500 to win. He has been sixth and third in two trips to the Scottish Open and has been Top 5 in two of his past five PGA Tour events this year.