The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st].
The Field
The PGA TOUR heads over to Scotland this week for a unique test. As part of the alliance between the PGA TOUR and the DP WORLD TOUR (formally the European Tour), the Scottish Open has become an official part of the PGA TOUR’s schedule and this year will mark the fourth year in a row that it has been played as an official PGA TOUR event. This co-sanctioned tournament will again feature the top 75 players, from each TOUR, with a few special exemptions mixed in to make up a field of 156 golfers.
With the Open Championship next week, many top players have decided to come over early for extra preparation. As of now, the field is led by World Number One Scottie Scheffler and World Number Two Rory McIlroy. Scheffler skipped this event last season, but wants some extra links prep before the Open for 2025. Scheffler is the betting favorite at +400 on the DraftKings Sportsbook, but is followed closely by 2023 Scottish champion, Rory McIlroy, at +750, and last year’s Open winner, Xander Schauffele, at +2000.
One final note on the event, three remaining spots to qualify for the Open Championship are up for grabs this week for players not already qualified. The top three non-qualified players will get spots into the Open but must also make the cut at the event to qualify.
The cut line and cut rules remain the same as any standard PGA event, with the top 65 players and ties after Friday getting to play the weekend.
The Course
The Renaissance Club — par 70, 7,237 yards
North Berwick, Scotland
The Renaissance Club will host the Scottish Open for the fifth year in a row. The venue was created back in 2007 by Tom Doak and sits on the peninsula just outside Edinborough and in close proximity to some other famous Scottish Links courses. The course is close enough to the sea that any poor weather coming in will wreak havoc with the scoring, and we’ve seen dramatic, in-tournament shifts in some recent iterations.
2022 saw Cameron Tringale open with a 61 at this relatively simple setup but that 9-under opening round was blown away by poor weather. Tringale and the field struggled afterward, and the winner ended up getting into the clubhouse at just 7-under par.
That 2022 result is in stark contrast to what we saw in 2019, the first year this event was hosted by the Renaissance Club when DP World Tour grinder Bernd Wiesberger was able to dismantle the course to the tune of 22-under par. Wiesberger is a solid iron player when he’s on but to see him get that low allows you to understand what the PGA pros may be capable of at this venue if they get calm conditions.
The course itself is a traditional links setup with fescue greens and hard fairways that will require intelligent decision-making. Your ball can roll a lot here and that’s helped shorter hitters like Tringale and Wiesberger when the wind is down. Despite it being a par 71 there are four par 5s and while they do have quirky large greens, they are still very short holes for the pros and will yield a ton of birdies if the course is soft.
One of the most interesting wrinkles of this course is the fact that while there are four par 5s, there are also five par 3s, meaning par 4s make up only half the course. The par 3s tend to play as some of the most difficult on the course and three stretch over 200 yards, making ball-striking extremely vital here when the wind is up. Each of the last three winners at the Renaissance Club gained over 5.0 strokes on approach and elite approach play tends to become more and more important as the weather deteriorates.
The venue sits right on the coastline of the North Sea, which means it’s always at risk of being affected by heavy winds or rain. How it will play in 2025 is still somewhat up in the air, but here’s some insight from the designer as to how the course can be affected by the weather:
“The windier and firmer it is, the more ball-striking plays a premium,” Doak says. “If it’s soft, it becomes more of a putting contest, and that’s not what the best players want to see. There are a few greens with some really tricky short-game shots – the back pin on the 18th is one, but more of them are on the front nine, as well as the shots around the 10th and 11th greens.”
With a windy opening day, look for approach games to be of vital importance, with perhaps less emphasis on short games as the week goes on and the wind dies down. We’re likely to see scores in the mid to high teens again, and some low scores will likely be available on Friday and Saturday (if the current forecast below holds).
2025 Outlook: The weather this year may not be a huge factor. It is windy on Day 1, with morning gusts expected to reach 20mph, and then set to gradually die down as the day goes on. If the forecast holds, afternoon starters may hold a slight advantage on Thursday and be the wave to target. The next two days look extremely calm for Links golf, as the wind is expected to be almost non-existent and there should be spots of sun as well with highs in the low 70°F range. Some rain could creep in starting Saturday PM, and Sunday does have the wind picking up with gusts expected to reach 15mph in the late afternoon. Sunday could be a good day to back some of the early starters. Things can always change quickly in this part of the world, so checking the forecast on Wednesday morning is worth your while, but for now, the late/early wave starters may be the ones to target.
Last five winners
*The last six iterations of the Scottish Open were played at The Renaissance Club, the site of this year’s Scottish Open
2024—Robert MacIntyre -18 (over Adam Scott -17)
2023—Rory McIlroy -15 (over Robert MacIntyre -14)
2022—Xander Schauffele -7 (over Kurt Kitayama -6)
2021—Min Woo Lee -18 (over Thomas Detry and Matthew Fitzpatrick playoff)
2020—Aaron Rai -11 (over Tommy Fleetwood playoff)
Winners Stats and Course Overview
2024 Winner: Robert MacIntyre (18-under par)
2024 lead-in form (MC-T16-MC-win-MC)
SG: OTT—+2.8
SG: APP—+5.7
SG: ATG—+0.3
SG: PUTT—+4.1
SG: TTG—+8.7
- Before MacIntyre won at bigger odds last season, the previous two winners went off at +800 (McIlroy) and +1800 (Schauffele) respectively and were coming in with great form. McIlroy had top-10 finishes in five straight starts in 2023, and Schauffele had just won two weeks prior at the Travelers in 2022.
- Each of the last three winners relied heavily on great ball-striking and dealt with some severe winds. This year’s event may not be as windy so there will be a chance for putting specilists and likely give shorter hitters a better shot at making a run as well.
- It’s worth noting that many of the most recent winners had all played well in their start directly prior to winning this event. Min Woo Lee placed in the top 20 the week prior in Ireland and Aaron Rai, who won this event in 2020, finished second at the same event before winning.
- Last year’s winner Robert MacIntyre, was coming in off a missed cut but had won just a few starts ago in Canada.
- Ultimately, we want players flashing good form but elite iron play really needs to be emphasized given the fact players will likely see at least some harsh conditions before the week ends.
Finding Values (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Robert MacIntyre +3000 and $9,100
Comparables:
Harris English +6000 and $8,000
Comparables:
All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change
HORSES FOR COURSES
- Robert MacIntyre (best finishes: win -2024, 2nd – 2023): MacIntyre finished 2nd at this event in 2023 and then had another great Sunday finish to win the event in 2024. He’s coming in with great expectations, but is one of the best links golfers in this field and in great form.
- Rory McIlroy (best finishes: win – 2023, T4 – 2024): McIlroy hit one of the best finishing hole shots of all time in 2023 to win this event and went on to record another Top 5 at this venue last season. He’ll have his eyes set on Portrush in his home country next week, but he certainly has come to respect and admire this week’s venue.
- Matthew Fitzpatrick (best finishes: T2- 2021 and T6 2022): Fitzpatrick has come close at this venue on multiple occasions. The Englishman comes in with great form this season and will be looking to bag his first PGA win since taking down the 2023 RBC at Hilton Head, held on another shorter coastal course.
RECENT FORM
1. Robert MacIntyre ($9,100; T17-2nd): MacIntyre is still just a few weeks removed from a brilliant final round at the US Open, where he eventually finished solo 2nd. The Scotsman has been in solid form all season and has been gaining big around and on the greens of late.
2. Ryan Fox ($8,500; T17-T19-win): Fox’s dream season on the PGA continues to march along steadily. The New Zealander followed up his second win on the PGA in Canada with a top 20 finish at the US Open, and another at the Travelers the following week. Fox has played a ton in this part of the world, and after a small break, should be ready to go for win number three this week and next.
3. Tommy Fleetwood ($9,900; T2-MC-T16): Fleetwood is coming off an agonizingly close call at the Travelers, where he bogeyed the final hole to finish in T2. He’s been gaining consistently with his irons every week but needs his putter to take a step up so he can close out an event (finally).
4. Collin Morikawa ($9,600; T8-T42): Morikawa had a poor U.S. Open (T23) but rebounded in Detroit with a T8 finish. It’s been an up-and-down season for Morikawa, who narrowly missed breaking his winless streak at the API in March and hasn’t done much since. Still, his recent uptick is worth taking notice of as we head into the links over the next two weeks.
5. Rory McIlroy ($11,400; T6-T19): McIlroy has found some form again after a slight downturn, landing a T19 at the US Open and a T7 at the Travelers. He gained on approach for the first time in four starts at TPC River Highlands, which is a great sign as we head into this week and next week’s Open Championship.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Cash Games: Morikawa too cheap
Despite being overpriced much of the season, I don’t think we can complain about getting Collin Morikawa at $9,600 this week. He’s coming off a top 10 and should be more focused after finally ending his caddie search this week. As a former Open Champion, it’s hard to argue with his links resume either. Below him, I wouldn’t hesitate to keep riding Ryan Fox ($8,500) at this level, and there are plenty of cheap names to consider in the 7k range as well. Kevin Yu ($7,100) may not have much links experience, but is too good a ball-striker to be this cheap. Denny McCarthy is another name I wouldn’t hesitate to use in core lineups this week at just $7,200. If the weather holds up and this becomes a putting contest, he should prosper.
Tournaments: Si Woo and McNealy priced at nice values
I like the upside with Maverick McNealy ($8,000) this week, who has played his best on coastal courses like the Renaissance Club and finished a tidy T16 on his first visit to this course in 2022. While he didn’t have the greatest US Open, McNealy was T5 in a signature field event at the Muirfield Village just last month and has remained consistent off the tee and with his putter. If his irons take a small tick up this week, he could easily compete on this shorter links venue. The same could be said for Si Woo Kim ($7,700), who continues to strike the ball, and gained 9.0 strokes tee to green last week, but needs to find some rhythm on the greens. Like McNealy, Kim typically loves these shorter coastal courses and managed a career-best T26 at this event last season. Both men make for great upside plays in GPPs where they can be paired with any of teh big names at their current salary levels. Underneath them, names like Hao Tong Li ($7,000), Matti Schmid ($6,900—see below), Davis Riley ($6,700), Henrick Norlander ($6,500), and Ashun Wu ($6,100) have some appeal as one-off targets.
MY PICK: Matthew Fitzpatrick ($8,800)
Fitzpatrick looks like a player ready to pop for a big summer. After making a few cuts in a row, he showed off his form at the PGA Championship in May, where he tied for T8 and gained over 5.5 strokes on approach. He regressed a little after that but has been consistently making weekends and popped for another big week at Detroit in his last start, where he finished T8 and gained over 5.5 strokes on approach (again) and over 3.9 strokes OTT.
A European Tour veteran who has played plenty of links golf, Fitzpatrick was also a playoff loser at this event back in 2021 (the year before it became a PGA TOUR stop) and finished T6 at the Renaissance Club in 2022. An elite putter who has found his form with his irons, he should be ready for whatever sort of conditions come our way this week, and looks like excellent for DFS purposes at under 9k.
For betting, his +4500 outright number on the DraftKings Sportsbook puts him in the same range that Robert MacIntyre went off at in 2024, and looks like a solid way to get exposure to his upside this week as well.
MY SLEEPER: Matti Schmid ($6,900)
I don’t hate this spot for Matti Schmid, who is coming off a confidence-building T7 finish last week in Germany. The 27-year-old had to pull out of the Travelers with an illness and had missed a couple of cuts coming into last week, so it was good to see him put in a solid effort agaisnt a weaker field. Overall, it’s been a promising season for the German, who finished second at the Colonial behind Ben Griffin and T6 in Puerto Rico after a big round.
Schmid isn’t the most consistent player on the PGA, but he can get red hot with his putter and looked confident on the greens last week, where he shot 15 under par over his final three rounds. He’s only played the Scottish Open once but has solid links experience and was T9 at the Alfred Dunhill Links event back in 2021. If the conditions are slightly easier this season it shyould favor a solid putter like Schmid, who has traditionally done his best in lower scoring events.
At under 7k, he’s cheap enough to deploy as a boom or bust target in GPPs, and for betting, there are solid prices available to take him in the placement markets this week for both a top 20 (+500) and Top 10 (+1200).
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
