Links golf tests await, starting at this week's Scottish Open
Scotland is credited as the birthplace of golf, but PGA Tour stars don't play much Scottish-style golf until they cross the pond for two weeks every July.
After spending most of the year barreling balls down tree-lined fairways and avoiding water hazards, the best players in the world are prepping for the Genesis Scottish Open -- the precursor to next week's Open Championship -- where links golf rules the day and a different set of skills is required.
A stacked field that includes the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking will tee off Thursday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
'I learned from a young age how to flight shots and hit all different types of shots,' World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said this week. 'When we come over here, everything opens up for us. I get to use all that stuff I did as a kid. ... It's less about fundamentals and more figuring out how you're going to get the ball closer to the hole, and all that other stuff washes away.'
The markers of links golf include bumpy fairway topography, pot bunkers, a lack of trees and normally a seaside location. It's not what American players are used to, and while the PGA Tour now co-sanctions the Scottish Open with the DP World Tour, only one American has won the event in the past nine years (Xander Schauffele, 2022).
Last year was special for Robert MacIntyre, who became the first Scotsman to win the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. He outlasted Australian veteran Adam Scott by one stroke, winning with a 22-foot birdie putt at the final hole.
That was MacIntyre's second PGA Tour win, just six weeks after his first at the RBC Canadian Open. And he nearly added the U.S. Open to that resume this June, when a Sunday charge landed him in second place behind J.J. Spaun.
At his pre-tournament press conference Wednesday, MacIntyre recalled his 2019 tournament debut, when he was paired with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler for the first two rounds.
'The nerves were unbelievable,' he said.
Now his ranking has risen to No. 14 in the world.
'It is surreal to know the path that I've gone on and the results that I've had,' MacIntyre said. 'As a kid growing up, you hit putts on putting greens to win this, to win that, and I mean to actually be in the tournaments and have chances to really live them moments is all I can ask for.'
As for McIlroy, the 2023 Scottish Open champion, this will be an important week of preparation for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland.
After a blazing start to his season, McIlroy had a forgettable PGA Championship and missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open while getting accustomed to a different driver. He's back on the upswing, chasing a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open with a T6 at the Travelers Championship.
'Logistically, as golf tournaments go, this couldn't be any easier,' McIlroy said. 'You stay on site. The range is really good. The course is benign enough that you don't feel like you're getting beaten up before the Open Championship. I just think all that together, it makes for a recipe for a very good golf tournament.'
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