This is a great week on the PGA TOUR. The Genesis Scottish Open is a joint venture with the DP World Tour and is the final tournament before The Open Championship. That makes for a great field ready to do battle 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 the next stop on the PGA TOUR calendar. This is the last chance for players to refine their game before the final major of the year, The Open Championship. This tournament is a joint venture between the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour, meaning certain LIV Tour players are allowed to participate in this tournament. Between those two factors, this is a loaded field. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Xander Schauffele are the favorites to win. Chris Gotterup is the defending champion.
The Renaissance Club is a par-70 course that ranges 7,282 yards. This is a fascinating course that requires many different styles of play depending on the hole. There is fescue everywhere, and errant tee shots will be punished. For a links-style course, the rough is quite thick. Typically, weather is the biggest factor in Scotland. If the weather cooperates, scoring conditions are favorable. If the wind is blowing hard, it becomes an incredibly tough track to conquer.
Tyrrell Hatton FRL (+4600)
It doesn’t seem to matter where Tyrrell Hatton is playing golf as of late; he just keeps turning in good performances. Hatton plays on the LIV Tour, but also has status on the DP World Tour. He is using that status to play this week at the Scottish Open as he gears up for the Open Championship. In addition to those two tours, Hatton has also played in all the majors this year. He has two top-10 finishes at majors in 2026, finishing T3 at the Masters and T7 at the U.S. Open.
This is the first time that LIV players have been able to play a non-major since the tour started. So, Hatton hasn’t played this event since 2023 when he was a PGA TOUR player. However, in that tournament he had an excellent T6 finish. Hatton has also been great on the LIV Tour this year. He ranks fourth in points on LIV and won the most recent event in Andalucia. Hatton’s approach play has been fantastic at the majors this year. If he can pair his putter with his irons, he is capable of going incredibly low in the opening round on Thursday.
Viktor Hovland FRL (+5000)
Viktor Hovland has found his game again. In his last two non-major starts, he finished in third place at the RBC Canadian Open and won the Travelers Championship. Hovland is riding that momentum into this week, hoping to be competitive next week at the Open Championship as well. Last year, Hovland played great at The Renaissance Club. He finished T11 at the Scottish Open and shot an opening round of 66. Much of Hovland’s positive results this year can be attributed to his iron play. He ranks 17th on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green this year.
Despite winning in his most recent start, it can still be difficult to trust Hovland to be consistent over four rounds. He still struggles off the tee at times and can get cold with his putter. However, when he gets hot, he is easily one of the best players in the world. If he can keep that driver straight, then he can get the most out of his incredible iron play. That then allows him to get excellent chances at birdies and comfortable pars. That is a good recipe for a player to go the lowest in one round and be the first-round leader.
