A major title may not be in the works – that will be decided at the British Open in a week’s time – but the Genesis Scottish Open, which starts Thursday at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, is a match for what he’s capable of. It should get a lot of attention. Contestants to play.
Among the top 10 players in the world rankings, eight players will participate, including No. 1 Scotty Scheffler, No. 3 Rory McIlroy, and No. 4 Patrick Cantlay. Defending the title will be Xander Schauffele, number 6, who won by stroke in 2022.
Here are five other things to watch out for.
Tommy Fleetwood
England’s Tommy’s 7-under 63 on Sunday was overshadowed in the final round of the US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club last month between eventual champions Windham Clarke and McIlroy. . fleetwood32 years old. First player to shoot that score twice Open. His remaining 63 were made in 2018 at Sinek Hills Golf Club in Southampton, Long Island.
Despite this, Fleetwood, currently ranked No. 22, has failed to win a trophy twice and has yet to win a PGA Tour tournament in more than 100 starts. The week before the U.S. Open, he came close to losing to Nick Taylor in the playoffs at the RBC Canadian Open. He tied for fifth at the Wells Fargo Championship in May.
Fleetwood, who has qualified twice for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, has also had a strong run at the Scottish Open, finishing second in 2020 and tied for fourth last year.
Justin Thomas
Tie for 9th at last month’s Travelers’ Championship, and seemed to be in the top 10 for the first time since March. thomasone of the game’s top players got back on track.
or not.
A week later, he missed out on the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Thomas, who fell to No. 20 in the world, struggled in the second round of the US Open. He missed the cut by 12 strokes, just five on the fairway before recording an 11-over 81.
“It’s pretty humiliating and embarrassing to shoot a score like that on a golf course that I really love,” he said.
The 30-year-old Thomas, who won the PGA Championship in 2022, has struggled in other majors this year.He missed the Masters and finished tied for 65th in the PGA
With the Open Championship just a week away, it will be a good time for him to get back in shape.
Rickie Fowler
Speaking of the old days, two weeks ago when we won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the first time in four years, fowler, The 34-year-old has officially returned.
It’s not surprising given how good Fowler, one of the tour’s most popular players, has been in form in recent months. He has finished in the top 15 or better in nine of the 11 tournaments he has played since mid-March.
At the US Open, he started as follows: Records 62 After three rounds, he was tied for first place. In the final round, he dropped to tie for 5th place with a score of 75, but in the following week’s Travelers’ Championship, he showed a good performance with a tie for 13th place. In the third round, Fowler, who started 103rd this year and is currently ranked 21st, hit 59 before shooting 60. A week later, he won in Michigan.
A star at Oklahoma State University, much was expected of Fowler when he turned pro in 2009, and he didn’t disappoint. He finished in the top five in each of the four majors in 2014. He won the Players Championship in 2015.
Wyndham Clark
It wasn’t long ago that casual golf fans were wondering, “Who’s Windham?”
The US Open changed that, Clerkranked 11th in the world and became famous.
The question is whether his performance was a fluke – other lesser-known players claimed majors but disappeared shortly afterward – or whether Clark, 29, Is it going to be a force for the tour?
Clark earned his first victory at this year’s Wells Fargo Classic and has the potential to win more tournaments, including majors. He’s a long shot, and it’s impressive how he held McIlroy to the end at the British Open in Los Angeles.
“The last few weeks have been hectic and it’s been a great season so far. It all came together a few weeks ago in Los Angeles,” Clark said. “I’m looking forward to maintaining this form through the summer.”
Victor Hovland
In three of the last four majors, hovlandRanked 5th, but continues to chase. Sooner or later he will surely break through.
Hovland became the first Norwegian to win a major and co-leads McIlroy into the final round of last year’s British Open. He finished tied for fourth with a 74.
He started at 65 at this year’s Masters and, despite troubles in the next two rounds, was just three backs away from the final round. However, in the major for the second year in a row, he marked 74 and finished tied for 7th, and could not get a birdie until the 13th hole. A month later, he tied for second in the PGA Championship, two behind winner Brooks Koepka.
In June, the 25-year-old Hobland earned his fourth Tour win and the biggest Memorial Tournament victory in history in the playoffs against Denny McCarthy. Hovland hit a 30-footer on the 17th and saved par from the legal five-footer on the 18th. He won the playoffs with a 7-footer.
