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 $600K 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 (formerly the European Tour), the Scottish Open has become an official part of the PGA TOUR’s schedule, and this year will mark the fifth 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 in 2024, but played last year, which clearly helped him win his first Open. Scheffler is the betting favorite at +500 on the DraftKings Sportsbook, but is followed closely by 2023 Scottish champion Rory McIlroy at +920. LIV Tour player Jon Rahm (who is playing as he’s also a DP World Tour member) is +1300.
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 receive spots in the Open, but they must also make the cut at the event to qualify.
The cut line and cut rules remain the same as in any standard PGA TOUR event, with the top 65 players and ties after Friday advancing to the weekend.
The Course
The Renaissance Club — par 70, 7,237 yards
North Berwick, Scotland
The Renaissance Club will host the Scottish Open once again. The venue was created in 2007 by Tom Doak and sits on the peninsula just outside Edinburgh, in close proximity to 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 dismantled 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 TOUR 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. Three of the last four 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. Last year, Chris Gotterup won thanks more to a hot putter overall, but struck the ball terrifically with his irons in the final round, gaining +1.5 strokes on approach alone on Sunday.
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 2026 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 the sun expected to be out and medium-level winds, look for some low scores to start the week before poorer weather comes in on Saturday.
2026 Weather Outlook: The weather for this year’s Scottish Open doesn’t look likely to cause much chaos. Wind gusts are expected on Day 1 but will likely peak at 12-15 mph. Temperatures will also be balmy in Scotland, reaching around 75F in the afternoon. Day 2 will see higher winds, with some rain and gusts expected late in the afternoon and evening. Players teeing off late in the day may get the worst of it on these first two days. As always, check back later in the week in case conditions change dramatically.
Last Five Winners
2025—Chris Gotterup -15 (over Rory McIlroy/Marco Penge -13)
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)
Winners Stats and Course Overview
2025 Winner: Chris Gotterup (15-under par)
2025 lead-in form (T21-T26-T23-MC-T28)
SG: OTT—+4.4
SG: APP—+0.6
SG: ATG—+2.9
SG: PUTT—+7.3
SG: TOTAL—+15.3
- Before MacIntyre won at bigger odds in 2024, 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.
- Three of the last four winners relied heavily on great ball-striking and dealt with some severe winds.
- The 2025 event was not as windy, so it allowed Gotterup to dominate more with his putter.
- 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.
- 2024 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 and putting upside really need to be emphasized, given that players will likely face at least some harsh conditions before the week ends.
Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value comparative to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.
Aaron Rai +5800 and $7,800
Comparables:
- Kristoffer Reitan +6200 and $7,900
- Shane Lowry +6300 and $7,800
- Adam Scott +6800 and $7,800
Tyrrell Hatton +3100 and $8,900
Comparables:
- Robert MacIntyre +3500 and $9,000
- Viktor Hovland +3600 and $9,100
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Big Field Punt plays:
Jesper Svensson ($6,800): Svensson has played extremely well in spurts this season and is coming in off a T4 at the Canadian Open. A former DP Tour regular, he’ll be more experienced than most on this week’s style of venue.
Billy Horschel ($6,600): Horschel flashed a bit at the Canadian Open a couple of weeks ago and has developed some decent links pedigree, which includes a close call at the Open in 2024. I can’t say I hate the idea of sprinkling in some GPP lineups this weekend at this price.
Jordan Smith ($7,100): Smith just looks too cheap this week for a veteran European player who not only knows this venue well, but has played extremely well against top competition on the PGA TOUR this season. I wouldn’t hesitate to click his name this week if you need someone around this price.
Core Plays:
Tom Kim ($7,600) – (see below)
Viktor Hovland ($9,100): He can be a bit up and down, but this style of course has always suited him best and comes in riding a huge confidence-building win.
Aaron Rai ($7,800): Why wouldn’t you like Rai at this price? This year’s PGA winner has already won at this course and is playing with house money at this point. He looks far too cheap given the way he’s handled the big events this year.
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 yet again after a solid year (but no wins) and is one of the best links golfers in this field.
- Rory McIlroy (best finishes: win – 2023, T4 – 2024, T2 – 2025): 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 the Open 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 fourth PGA TOUR win of 2026 since taking down the 2026 RBC at Hilton Head, held on another shorter coastal course.
Recent Form
1. Chris Gotterup ($9,100; win-T30): Gotterup, the 2025 Scottish winner, had a disappointing U.S. Open but bounced back big time last week with a huge final round and his third win of 2026. He’ll be looking to defend this weekend.
2. Wyndham Clark ($8,200; T5-win): Clark didn’t show much fatigue from his second U.S. Open triumph. He landed a T5 at the very competitive Travelers and looks set for a couple of big weeks on the links.
3. Viktor Hovland ($9,100; win-MC-T3): Hovland missed the cut at the year’s third major but bounced back fast at the Travelers, where he outdueled Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. The Norwegian will look to add to his titles this week on the links, where he’s had success in the past.
4. Tom Kim ($7,600; T46-T3-T15): Kim didn’t contend last week, but he’s been heating up of late. A short coastal course could be exactly to his liking.
MY PICK: Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,900)
My pick for this year’s Scottish Open is the same golfer I picked for this column at this event last year, Matt Fitzpatrick. The Englishman finished T4 here last season thanks to a second-round 63, but he couldn’t close things out in worse weather later in the weekend. Still, from an experience angle, Fitzpatrick might have this course figured out better than just about anyone in the field. He lost in a playoff back in 2021 and had another top-10 back in 2022.
An elite putter who has found his form with his irons this season, he’ll likely be better prepared than last season if the weather turns nasty. And while his form dipped a little at the U.S. Open, a final-round 64 at the Travelers proved he’s more than ready to go big trophy hunting a few weeks in July as we hit links season. For DFS, his price is high, but with Scheffler sitting at $14,000 and not nearly as experienced at this venue as the other elite names, Fitzpatrick still looks like decent value. I wouldn’t hesitate to hit up the betting market at +2100 or better on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
MY SLEEPER: Tom Kim ($7,600)
Even though he was disappointing at the John Deere, I’m sticking with Kim for one more week. Kim managed a T46 last week, but couldn’t get the putter going at Deere Run. Still, he looked great with his irons in spurts and sets up well for a short coastal as we have on tap for this week. Kim’s also played well at this venue multiple times before, landing a T2 back in 2022, when he had almost no PGA TOUR experience, and a T6 in 2023. He also managed a T17 last season when he was in worse form than he is right now.
Overall, Kim’s the sort of player I want to buy low on as we get into these later summer months. The South Korean has disappointed for almost a year now, but he’s a multiple-time winner on the PGA TOUR who can go toe-to-toe with the best when he’s set up on these more technical venues. This week, with his salary now over $1,000 less than it was last week, he is a great target for DFS, and for betting, his +520 top ten odds and +8400 outright odds are some of the most appealing on the board.
