By J.T. CHADWELL
RECAP
What a back nine it was from Max Homa, but unfortunately it was Chris Gotterup once again with a better back nine en route to a final round 62 and a one-shot win over Homa. Jackson Suber and Troy Merritt (at 1900/1!) also entered the final day with a chance to win, but neither really seriously contended. The last man off the tip sheet last week, Ben Kohles, came to 18 needing birdie to win, or par to force a playoff. Kohles yanked his approach shot into the water then missed a 47 foot putt for par and Gotterup was the winner. Gotterup has now won four events in 2026, second most on the PGA Tour. He now heads overseas to the Scottish Open where he will be defending his trophy from last season.
PAST WINNERS, ODDS, AND TRENDS
- 2025, Chris Gotterup (80/1)– Eight cuts made with seven top 25 finishes in 10 events prior.
- 2024, Robert MacIntyre (45/1) – Five cuts made with five top-20 finishes and a win in 10 events prior.
- 2023, Rory McIlroy (8/1) – Nine made cuts and seven top-10 finishes in 10 events prior.
- 2022, Xander Schauffele (18/1) – Eight cuts made with seven top-20 finishes including two wins in 10 events prior.
- 2021, Min Woo Lee (175/1) – Five cuts made in 10 events prior.
Scottish Open
In past times, the week before a major was never really a popular time to play a tournament; most players would take that time to practice and spend time with family. For American players in The Open Championship, that meant taking time to see parts of Europe they generally don’t get to the rest of the year. That couldn’t be further from the case for this year’s Scottish Open, taking place the week before The Open. The Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, so the top players from each tour get entry into this event. On top of that, LIV players with good standing on the DP World Tour can also play in this event, so Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton, and David Puig will also be in Scotland this week. This is probably the strongest field outside of a major we have seen in many years, and it’s no shock that Scottie Scheffler tops the odds board at +450. McIlroy (+900) and Rahm (+1150) come in behind Scheffler this week. All three of these guys can win this tournament in their sleep at their best, but all three would much rather have a trophy next week at Royal Birkdale. For that reason we will look further down the odds board to try and build some bankroll for next week’s Open Championship.
THE BETTING CARD
- MATT FITZPATRICK (20/1), .2 UNITS TO WIN 4 UNITS – Leading off the card this week, Fitzpatrick has arguably been the best player on the PGA Tour this season and has no signs of cooling off. He has three wins already this season and two of his last three events have been top-5 finishes. Throw in a pair of top 10s previously at this golf course and I feel like this is good value on Fitzpatrick, who should be right there on Sunday again.
- CHRIS GOTTERUP (28/1), .15 UNITS TO WIN 4.2 UNITS – Probably the most obvious pick this week, and the number is still a little low for my liking, but Gotterup was on a heater when he came here last year; I am not sure he ever trailed. Who’s to say he can’t do it again after coming off a win at the John Deere last week.
- WYNDHAM CLARK (28/1), .15 UNITS TO WIN 4.2 UNITS – Another player on an absolute heater and we have already cashed one ticket on him in the last month, so why not another? Very much like Gotterup, the number is a little low, but as hot as he is combined with his course history here (he’s finished in the top 25 in each of his four trips) he seems like an obvious pick.
- TYRELL HATTON (35/1), .15 UNITS TO WIN 5.25 UNITS – Back to the well on Hatton. He has finished in the top 25 here in his only two starts and his last two starts worldwide ended in a trophy and a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock. This is a massive event for Hatton as the future of LIV is up in the air, so having world ranking points and race to Dubai points at stake give him lots of motivation to bring his best once again.
- NICOLAI HOJGAARD (55/1), .1 UNITS TO WIN 5.5 UNITS – Course fit play here. Long balls off the tee and a hot putter are the formula at The Renaissance Club. Hojgaard is one of the longest players in the field and hasn’t putted terribly this season. He also has two previous top 10s in four trips here.
- BROOKS KOEPKA (66/1), .1 UNITS TO WIN 6.6 UNITS – Nothing more than a number grab here. Koepka on a normal day is never 66/1. He hasn’t been playing his best, but many forget Koepka came to the PGA Tour through the European Tour at the time and relishes links golf. His lack of driving accuracy shouldn’t be a concern here either. He is going to have to see massive gains with the putter, but 66/1 is way too high for a ball striker of his quality.
- EUGENIO CHACARRA (90/1), .075 UNITS TO WIN 6.75 UNITS – Not much more time to be spent on the DP World Tour for the LIV golf defector. Chacarra will be on the PGA Tour next season thanks to his glorious stretch of golf he is playing. Chacarra rattled off back-to-back wins in the Netherlands and Italy, winning both countries’ national open events. What’s even more impressive was how he did it, by coming from behind on the weekend both times. Chacarra isn’t your run-of-the-mill professional golfer, but don’t let his appearance or mannerisms fool you. He has a complete game and is playing some fantastic golf right now.
- MARCO PENGE (125/1), .075 UNITS TO WIN 9.37 UNITS – Another number grab here, somewhat. Penge fits this golf course profile perfectly and proved it by finishing tied for second here last year. Penge has recently taken some time away from golf due to medical issues, but he returned to Germany last week for the BMW International Open and didn’t disappoint, finishing tied for ninth. With a week of good golf under his belt, hopefully Penge can carry that momentum in to Scotland for another nice week.
SKIP THE STARBUCKS LONGSHOT PICKS
- Victor Perez (150/1)
- Casey Jarvis (240/1)
- Bernd Wiesberger (325/1)
- Thirston Lawrence (900/1)
- Nicolai von Dellinghausen (2250/1)
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