The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland will play host to the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open this week. It’s a precursor to the Open Championship, the fourth and final major of the PGA Tour season, held at Royal Portrush.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy headline the betting favorites in a loaded field, comprised of both PGA Tour and DP World Tour golfers in this co-sanctioned event. Neither star golfer has played since the Travelers Championship on June 22nd, getting rest and time to prepare for golf on links courses overseas.
My 2025 John Deere Classic DFS Primer had mostly disappointing outcomes. Jackson Suber missed the cut as a cheap roster plug, while Thriston Lawrence carded a pedestrian T44 finish after starting 8-under-par. Michael Thorbjornsen had two strong rounds, including a 63 on Sunday, to yield a T21 finish. After shooting a 64 on Thursday, Michael Kim’s 75 in Round 2 resulted in a missed cut.
I’ve got four golfers who hold value in DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups before Round 1 tees off at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more PGA free picks and analysis.
2025 Genesis Scottish Open DFS Primer
Previous Winners
- 2024 – Robert MacIntyre (-18)
- 2023 – Rory McIlroy (-15)
- 2022 – Xander Schauffele (-7)
Relevant Betting Stats
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Sand Save Percentage
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Proximity
Course Overview
Links golf features wide fairways, undulations, pot bunkers and massive greens that require good putting or quality proximity on approach. The Renaissance Club has a few more trees than traditional links courses, while the rest of its layout is what’s to be expected playing golf on Scottish soil.
Renaissance Club is a par 70 with five par 3s and three par 5s. There are a few holes along the coastline that are going to be highly susceptible to winds, which is the primary defense due to the lack of water hazards.
The surfaces are fescue, running slow on greens at 10.5 feet via Stimpmeter. Speaking of greens, they are bigger than average, meaning hole proximity is a priority on approach and off-the-tee. Fescue rough varies between two to five inches, while fairway undulations turn quality lies into potentially difficult recovery shots.
Proximity and putting go a long way at the Renaissance Club. Of course, gaining distance off-the-tee and maintaining accuracy on approach remain vital, while scrambling takes a back seat.
Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Harry Hall: $8,400
Harry Hall’s a phenomenal putter, which makes me like the Englishman quite a bit at the Renaissance Club. The 27-year-old has four top 20 finishes across his last five events, while making at least 14 birdies in five straight outings.
Ranks second SG: Putting, scoring average and par 4s. Also third in birdie average this season. Approach shots are lacking right now but Hall’s short game compensates for this part of his game.
Ryan Fox: $8,500
A golfer trending upward across the last couple of months has undoubtedly been Ryan Fox. The New Zealand golfer has a pair of outright wins, both in a playoff, utilizing his putter (20th SG: Putting) and irons (24th SG: Approach) to inflict damage.
Fox turned in a T12 finish at this event in 2023 and has not slid outside the top 20 in four consecutive events. Ranks 36th in scoring average and 23rd in birdie average. I like Fox quite a bit, especially due to a combination of his current form and previous success at the Renaissance Club.
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Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000
Brian Harman: $9,200
Brian Harman’s win at the Open Championship a couple years ago shocked the golf world. He’s been a bit volatile in 2025, although the veteran did card an outright win during the Valero Texas Open back in early April.
Harman posted a T8 finish during the Travelers Championship in his most recent event played. Ranks 46th proximity, 47th driving accuracy and 44th sand save percentage. He also posted a T21 finish here in 2024.
Jordan Smith: $8,500
Jordan Smith plays on the DP World Tour and has fared well at the Renaissance Club. The Englishman has a pair of top 25 finishes here in Scotland, while also logging four top 10 finishes in only seven starts this season.
The ball-striker should feel comfortable on this course and just logged a runner-up finish at the BMW International Open. It’s a quality price for a good golfer, so don’t hesitate to plug Smith into FanDuel lineups at an $8.5K salary.
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