Why this Genesis Scottish Open might even surpass historic 2022 edition

It’s done it again. Twelve months after attracting the strongest field in the history of the DP World Tour, the Genesis Scottish Open will once more serve up one of the tastiest dishes on the Scottish sporting menu in 2023 when the $9 million Rolex Series event takes place at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian next week.

Eight of the world’s top ten, led by top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and No 3 Rory McIlroy, are set to tee up on Scotland’s Golf Coast, showing yet again how one of the DP World Tour’s marquee tournaments has been elevated since becoming co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and, at the same time, highlighting just how important it was a decade ago that its pre-Open slot was retained.

Back in the days of the Bell’s Scottish Open at Gleneagles then under the Barclays banner at Loch Lomond and, more recently, what is now called abrdn as the title sponsor at a number of venues around the country, the event always attracted a strong field, but it is now on a completely different level.

In addition to Scheffler and McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth are the other players in the current world top ten teeing up on this occasion, while the field also includes US Open champion Wyndham Clark, WGC Match Play winner Sam Burns, two-time major champion Justin Thomas and a rejuvenated Rickie Fowler.

Xander Schauffele putts in the final round on his way to winning the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club last summer. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

Add in the likes of Tom Kim, who used a third-place finish a year ago when playing as one of the Korean invitees as a springboard to become one of the new stars in world golf, as well as a posse of players trying to make the Ryder Cup later in the year and this edition could possibly be even more appealing than the last one, even though it lived up to its billing.

“Following the success of last year’s inaugural co-sanctioned Genesis Scottish Open, I’m delighted to see so many of the world’s top male players returning to Scotland, and our stunning east coast of Scotland this week,” said Paul Bush director of events at VisitScotland.

“The quality of the field is a real testament to the hard work and engagement from Genesis, who have really raised the bar in the standards set for our national open, and the continued strength of the partnership we have developed working with the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and The Renaissance Club over many years.”

The Renaissance Club is staging the tournament for the fifth year in a row and, though it may have been taken apart in soft and benign conditions at the start of its run, last year showed that the Tom Doak-designed course can bear its teeth when the surfaces are firm and fast and the wind is blowing. Schauffele’s winning total was just seven-under-par.

Rory McIlroy, the world No 3, is making his return to The Renaissance Club after missing last year's Genesis Scottish Open. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

“The Renaissance Club is awesome,” said the aforementioned Homa, who finished in the top 20 in his first appearance in the event 12 months ago. “It has some really unique holes and some opportunities to score, but it also has holes and pin locations where you are doing what you would do at a traditional links course, which is kind of blasting it past the pin towards the middle of the green and then two-putting. I thought it had a great blend of everything.”

In a year of madness in the golf world, the Californian gave himself something to smile about – and others, too, when they heard the story – by popping down to North Berwick after one of his rounds for an impromptu hit on the West Links. “It was on my bucket list for a long time. I'd always wanted to play and so I had to make the most of it,” said the six-time PGA Tour winner. “This year, I'll try to do something similar just because there's just so much great golf in that area.”

Gullane might be a good bet and he’d probably liked to be joined for a whack there by Fowler as that’s where he landed this title in 2015, proving a very popular winner indeed at the time and, having just ended a lengthy drought on the PGA Tour by claiming the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit last week, the colourful American will guaranteed a very warm welcome indeed on his return to East Lothian.

Scottish fans will also be happy to see McIlroy back in the field after he skipped last year’s event, his appearance on this occasion perhaps being influenced by the fact he played at Royal Aberdeen in 2014 before winning The Open the following week at Royal Liverpool, where the season’s final major is taking place this year.

Rickie Fowler, the 2015 winnr at Gullane, is heading into this year's Genesis Scottish Open in in fine form after claiming the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit last weekend. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

While the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open marked the start of six big golf tournaments being held in this country in a five-week period, this summer is much quieter due to The Open, Senior Open and AIG Women’s Open all taking place in either England or Wales. But, at the same time, the Genesis Scottish Open in particular but also the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in a few weeks’ time will play a big role in keeping Scotland at the forefront when it comes to golf in the UK.

“Golf remains a significant contributor to Scotland’s economy, not least proven by the £300m+ economic activity from last year’s Summer of Golf, but also increasingly important is how tournaments such as the Genesis Scottish Open deliver through the lens’ of sustainability, health and wellbeing and in supporting our communities,” said Bush. “We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to advance our successes in all these areas.”