Gotterup and McIlroy Set for Rematch at PGA Tour Genesis Scottish Open Starting Thursday

The Genesis Scottish Open (total prize money of $9 million), co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, will kick off in two days at The Renaissance Club (par 70, 7,282 yards) in North Berwick, Scotland, for a four-day run. As the event serves as a final tune-up before the season's last major, The Open Championship (July 16–19, England), a host of the world's top golfers are set to compete.

The entry list features major champions and top-ranked players, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) and No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland).

This year, much of the attention is focused on the rematch between McIlroy and defending champion Chris Gotterup (USA).

At last year's tournament, Gotterup, who was not widely known at the time, faced McIlroy in the final group and secured a two-stroke victory.

Riding the momentum from that win, Gotterup went on to triumph at this year's Sony Open and Phoenix Open, and most recently won the John Deere Classic, climbing to 7th in the world rankings.

McIlroy’s form is equally formidable.

Including his victory at this year's major, The Masters, McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in three of his nine PGA Tour events this season, with two of those being top-5 finishes.

He has shown particular strength at the Scottish Open, finishing tied for 4th in 2024 and winning the title in 2023.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler, who has only one win this season, is eager to bounce back. After winning the season-opening The American Express, Scheffler has finished as the runner-up four times, falling just short of the title on multiple occasions.

PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai (England) and U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark (USA) are also considered strong contenders for the title.

From South Korea, Kim Si-woo, currently 7th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup rankings, will lead the contingent, joined by Im Sung-jae, Kim Joo-hyung, Lee Jung-hwan, Choi Seung-bin, Kim Baek-jun, and Ok Tae-hoon.

Kim Si-woo skipped last week's John Deere Classic to rest and prepare for the Scottish Open.

Im Sung-jae and Kim Joo-hyung are looking to improve their FedEx Cup rankings to secure a spot in the top 70, which is the safe zone for advancing to the first round of the PGA Tour playoffs.

Im is currently 60th in the FedEx Cup rankings, while Kim Joo-hyung sits at 58th.

Lee Jung-hwan, who is within the top 75 of the DP World Tour rankings, along with Choi Seung-bin, who tied for 7th at last year's KPGA Tour Genesis Championship, and Kim Baek-jun and Ok Tae-hoon, who were top performers in last year's Genesis Points race, will also have the opportunity to compete against the world's best.

Meanwhile, the ISCO Championship (total prize money of $4 million), another PGA Tour event, will be held during the same period at the Hurstbourne Country Club (par 70, 7,056 yards) in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Noh Seung-yul is the lone Korean player scheduled to compete in that event.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.