The Genesis Scottish Open tees off this week at The Renaissance Club.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Genesis Scottish Open: First Round Leader Picks
The Genesis Scottish Open is being played at The Renaissance Club. The Renaissance Club is a par 70 golf course and ranges 7,237 yards. The Renaissance Club has hosted the Scottish Open since 2019. The Genesis Scottish Open is a full-field event, which will have a standard cut after 36 holes. This is a loaded field as the world’s top players gear up for The Open in two weeks. This will be the second-best field the PGA Tour has seen this season, behind only THE PLAYERS. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele headline the field, along with the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, US Open champion J.J. Spaun and defending Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre. This will be a great test of form for the world’s best players before heading to Royal Portrush for The Open.
Collin Morikawa FRL (+4500)
Collin Morikawa is in need of a big win on the PGA Tour. He is fifth in the Official World Golf Rankings and eighth in the world in the Data Golf rankings. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the planet, but since establishing himself as a top player in the world by winning the 2021 Open Championship, he has only one win on the PGA Tour. That win came against a relatively weak field at the 2023 ZOZO Championship. He had two runner-up finishes at big tournaments in 2024 and has two more runner-up finishes so far this season, but has not been able to find that big win. This tournament at The Renaissance Club could be his chance to break through.
Morikawa played great golf here last year, finishing T4 after shooting an opening round of 65. He has always enjoyed links golf, winning one of his two majors at Royal St. George’s Golf Club for the 2021 Open Championship. He is one of the best ball strikers on Earth, ranking fifth on Tour in strokes gained approach to green. Morikawa also keeps the ball straight off the tee, ranking third on Tour in driving accuracy. Staying out of dangerous areas is the key to success here, which makes Morikawa’s game a great fit. It is hard to trust Morikawa over the course of four days, but for one round, he is more than capable of being the best player in the field and leading after Round 1.
Aaron Rai FRL (+7500)
Aaron Rai has not had his best season on the PGA Tour, but this course is the perfect fit for his game. After an incredible 2024 season where he got his first win on the PGA Tour, Rai has been quiet in 2025. He has played steady golf, finishing in the top 25 in eight of his 17 events played. However, he has been unable to break through that top 25 threshold to contend, with only one top ten finish on the year. He played well in his last tournament, finishing T17 in a good field at the Travelers Championship. He ranks first on Tour in driving accuracy and should stay out of trouble on this course. Rai ranks eighth in par-four scoring average, where a lot of players run into trouble in links golf. If he can get his putter rolling, he could go low in the first round at the Scottish Open.
