The five players to watch at the Scottish Open

Many players taking part in the Genesis Scottish Open, which starts on Thursday at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, will naturally be focused on winning the golf tournament.

But they are also looking ahead to the next tournament, the British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland, the final major of the season. The Renaissance Club and Royal Troon are links courses, with their own subtleties. It should provide two weeks of exciting golf.

Here are five players to watch at the Scottish Open:

Robert MacIntyre

MacIntyre28, he looked set to win last year’s Scottish Open after closing with a memorable birdie.

From about 215 yards out, his ball on a path through the rough, MacIntyre drove a 3-wood within four feet and made the putt to go up by one. As it turned out, however, he lost to Rory McIlorywho made birdie on the last two holes.

“I’m happy with the way I played,” said MacIntyre, who was trying to become the first Scot to win the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. “But this is a painful one to take. It’s a dream for any Scot to win the Scottish Open.”

MacIntyre, 44, earned his first PGA Tour victory at last month’s Canadian Open. What made it even more special was that his father, Dougie, was his caddie.

“I just can’t believe I did it with my dad in the bag,” he said. “That guy taught me how to play golf.”

He missed the cut at the US Open last month and at the Rocket Mortgage Classic two weeks ago, but at the Travelers Championship he finished in a tie for 16th.

Rory McIlroy

How can everyone not pay attention McIlroy this week?

It’s been a month since the 35-year-old McIlroy blew a two-stroke lead at the end of the US Open, failing to end his decade-long major title drought.

Where is his game? Or better yet, where is his head?

At least he has one thing in his favor: he knows how to play this course.

“This is definitely one of the best,” McIlroy told CBS after his comeback win over MacIntyre. “I thought if I could make one of the last two birdies and get into the playoff, that would be a bonus. To finish 2-3 in these conditions … it feels absolutely great.”

McIlroy finished tied for fifth at the 2016 British Open, the last time the tournament was held in Troon.

Justin Thomas

Sooner or later, Thomas, A two-time major winner in his prime — he’s only 31 years old — will be gunning for another major title.

It’s hard to believe, but Thomas, ranked 26th, hasn’t won since winning his second PGA Championship in May 2022. His play in the majors has been particularly poor. In his last nine starts, he’s missed the cut five times and has only one top-10 finish, tied for eighth at this year’s PGA.

Thomas missed the cut at the US Open with rounds of 77 and 74, but showed he was making progress by finishing fifth at the Travelers Championship with four straight rounds in the 60s.

His performances at the Scottish Open have been mixed. He missed the cut two years ago and finished tied for 60th in 2023, but has had top-10 finishes in 2019 and 2021.

Scotland will always be a special place for Thomas, who made his professional debut in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2013.

Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama has had an excellent year, but like everyone else he is overshadowed by world number 1 Scottie Scheffler.

The 32-year-old Matsuyama is ranked 13th and has finished in the top 10 five times in 14 appearances, highlighted by his victory at the Genesis Invitational in February, when he shot a 62 on Sunday to close a six-stroke deficit.

During that tournament, held just outside Los Angeles, Matsuyama, the first Japanese to win a major (the 2021 Masters), twice hit the last nine holes within tap-in range in a row.

Although he underperformed at the Masters and PGA Championship this year, he did finish in a tie for eighth place at the Memorial Tournament and sixth at the U.S. Open.

He’s had his share of troubles at the Renaissance Club, finishing tied for 83rd in 2018, and tied for 109th four years later.

Nevertheless, he hopes to join the list of Japanese players who have won the DP World Tour in 2024. They include: Rikuya Hoshino at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, Keita Nakajima at the Hero Indian Open and Yuto Katsuragawa at the ISPS Handa Championship.

Tom Kim

Kim22, missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last month, and that may not be the worst thing in the world. He was playing for the ninth straight week.

A few days off probably wouldn’t hurt.

At the Travelers Championship in late June, he showed once again why he is one of the most promising young players on tour, and together with Scheffler, he stayed with him all the way.

The highlight was the 10-foot birdie putt he hit on the 72nd hole to tie Scheffler, which Kim made after protesters ran onto the green, causing a brief delay.

Despite a poor second chance in the play-offs, which effectively gave Scheffler the tournament in his hands, Kim focused on the positives.

“I played really well to force a playoff,” said Kim, who has three PGA Tour victories. “I see this as a big step in the season.”

Kim, who is ranked 17th, has played exceptionally well at the Renaissance Club, finishing third in 2022 and tied for sixth in 2023.