Golfers Vie for Open Championship Berth at Scottish Open
Three coveted spots up for grabs at the Renaissance Club
As the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open approaches, the stakes are high: three golfers will earn entry to The Open Championship. With a field stacked with PGA Tour talent, expect fierce competition at the Renaissance Club.
High Stakes in Scotland
The Genesis Scottish Open offers a final opportunity to qualify for The Open Championship. The top three finishers, not already exempt, will secure their place in the major tournament the following week. Recent history suggests a tight contest, as the last six editions were decided by a single stroke or a playoff.
Top Contenders
Scottie Scheffler leads the pack as the favorite at +360, according to oddsmakers. Rory McIlroy, the 2023 champion, is close behind at +750, while Xander Schauffele, who won in 2022, is listed at +2000. Scotland’s own Robert MacIntyre, the defending champion, has odds of +3000.
Expert Insight
Golf expert Brady Kannon has a strong track record, including predicting eight major outright winners since 2013. In late 2022, Kannon correctly picked three consecutive winners: Russell Henley (40-1), Tony Finau (18-1), and Adam Svensson (150-1).
This season, Kannon has already identified Hideki Matsuyama (22-1), Harris English (110-1), Ludvig Aberg (25-1), and the team of Ben Griffin/Andrew Novak (25-1) as winners in New Orleans.
Kannon’s Longshot Pick
Kannon favors Justin Thomas as a 35-1 longshot. According to Kannon, “Big price on a player who began playing this tournament in 2019 when he finished ninth.”
Thomas also secured an eighth-place finish in his subsequent appearance and has been in strong form this season.
Triple-Digit Longshots
Kannon is also considering even longer shots, including three with triple-digit odds. While predicting golf outcomes is notoriously difficult, underdogs do sometimes prevail. In fact, in 2024, longshots won approximately 20% of PGA tour events, according to data from Golf Monthly Golf Monthly, 2024.
