2024 Genesis Scottish Open: One-and-Done Picks & Predictions

The 2024 Genesis Scottish Open is set to tee off around 2 a.m. ET from Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland on Thursday morning. Rory McIlroy returns to defend his title at this event, the precursor to The Open Championship at Royal Troon for the fourth and final major of the PGA Tour season.

The Scottish Open is a co-sanctioned event with the European DP World Tour, so we’ll get a chance to watch a lot of new golfers contend for the outright win at Renaissance Club this week. Xander Schauffele won this event at 7-under-par in tough weather conditions in 2022, while McIlroy’s 15-under-par win came during minimal winds, beating native Scotsman, Robert MacIntyre, by one stroke.

In this article, we’re going to analyze and categorize a few of the best golfers worth using in one-and-done contests and survivor leagues for the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open. Make sure to follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more free PGA betting insights and advice throughout the week.

Check out PoolGenius One-and-Done Golf Pool Tools »

Big Guns

Rory McIlroy
After a gut-wrenching loss at the U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy has set aside a few weeks to recharge and returns to defend his title at the Scottish Open. McIlroy has been on fire in 2024, winning twice, carding five consecutive finishes of T15 or better since the beginning of May.

He’s the best driver on either Tour, plus his approach shots and putting have been improved lately, which is why oddsmakers favor McIlroy as the outright betting favorite, despite the lack of historical success in going back-to-back at this event.

Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele’s win at the PGA Championship finally earned him a major victory. It’s well deserved, considering how consistent Schauffele has played in 2024, recording 11 top-ten finishes in 16 events, without missing a cut.

Ranked top-12 in strokes gained off-the-tee, on approach, and putting, Schauffele should bounce back from a T42 finish here a year ago. His past five finishes have seen four inside of the top-ten, sliding out to T13 at the Travelers Championship. A few weeks of rest should benefit the talented ball-striker to climb the leaderboard once again in Scotland.

Secondary Options

Tom Kim
Tom Kim has recorded solo third and T6 finishes at this event over the last two years. The 22-year-old South Korean native went to a playoff against Scottie Scheffler at Travelers, before missing the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Coming off of a week of much-needed rest, Kim, ranked 25th total driving, 44th hole proximity, and 28th in birdie average, is rounding into form late in the season ahead of a return to a course he’s experienced a lot of success. Kim is a strong candidate to use in one-and-done leagues this week at Renaissance.

Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee won this event on the DP World Tour in 2021 and nearly forced a playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a couple of weeks ago. The Aussie golfer ranks sixth for strokes gained: off-the-tee, second in total driving, and 46th in par 4 scoring average. His driver is undoubtedly his best weapon, so at an open course that invites and rewards long tee shots, Lee is another strong secondary option to deploy.

Sneaky Plays

Tommy Fleetwood
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood may not have had much success in wins on the PGA Tour but he’s always played well on links courses throughout his career. A T6 finish here in 2023, with a previous T4 finish in 2022, is very encouraging.

Fleetwood is among the best golfers off-the-tee, around the green, and a solid putter. Playing on links courses in the elements is where he tends to separate himself, so if you’re still holding onto him, don’t hesitate to insert him at Renaissance Club this week.

Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai has been knocking on the door of his first PGA Tour outright win lately, contending into Sunday in back-to-back events at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic.

Now, ranked seventh in strokes gained: approaching the green, plus 31st off-the-tee, the 2020 Scottish Open winner is in good form returning to an event he won while competing on the DP World Tour. The putter is his biggest weakness, although he’s shown strong improvement since the season began.

Favorite One-And-Done: Tom Kim

Tom Kim is my favorite one-and-done golfer to roll out at Renaissance Club this week. His accurate driver and strong irons, combined with top-50 hole proximity and top-60 putting average, checks most of the boxes to navigating the hazards at this event.

Kim’s confidence should remain high despite a missed cut at RMC, especially taking Scottie Scheffler to a playoff at Travelers. Two top-six finishes since 2022 at the Scottish Open should turn into three this week, making Kim my favorite golfer in survivor contests.