2023 Genesis Scottish Open: PGA Head-to-Head Matchups Odds & Picks

If you’re looking for the best golfers in the world this week, you’ll have to turn your attention to North Berwick, Scotland for the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open. With the last major of the year next week at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, the field will be looking to acclimate to both the conditions and the style of play required to be successful. Rain, wind, wide open fairways, lots of fescue and slower than usual greens await the field at The Renaissance Club and the par 70, 7,237 yard layout. Defending champion Xander Schauffele is one of the 30 golfers ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings that will tee it up Thursday. Add in 24 of the top 25 on the DP World Tour earnings list and you’ve got a star-studded international field.

When looking at matchups to take advantage of this week, we’re going to rely on tournament history and lean towards players who are natives of the British Isles based on the fact they grew up playing this style of golf so they are more familiar with what it takes to be successful on links style golf courses. Let’s get to the picks.

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2023 Genesis Scottish Open Bets: Head-to-Head Matchups Picks & Predictions

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Shane Lowry vs. Jordan Spieth

The 2019 Open Championship winner, Shane Lowry hasn’t played in this event since 2016. That shouldn’t be much of a factor. The Ireland native has made six of seven cuts with two top-ten and another pair of top-15 finishes when he has teed it up. The 36-year-old is an excellent poor-weather player who has the arsenal to adjust to the wind and rain that’s expected this week. When the competition ramps up, Lowry seems to up his game. In the three majors so far this season, the 14-year pro has finished T-20 or better in each tournament.

The other side of this matchup is nothing to sneeze at, but Jordan Spieth comes into this week not having played since the U.S. Open. The Texas native has been dealing with a wrist injury that did not require surgery but should linger through the end of the year. That spells trouble when you’re talking about the deep fescue of links courses. Shots from the rough will put a lot of stress on that wrist, and there’s some doubt in my mind as to whether he’ll be able to play at an elite level all four rounds for that reason.

Pick: Shane Lowry over Jordan Spieth (+100)

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Adam Scott vs. Ryan Fox

Five years ago, this pick may have gone the other way. New Zealander Ryan Fox finished T4 in his first appearance at the 2017 Genesis Scottish Open and followed that up with a T6 in 2018. Since then, Fox has missed a pair of cuts and finished no better than T44. The 36-year-old has played in ten PGA Tour, and ten DP World Tour events this year, with mediocre results. There’s not much to indicate he still has what it takes to turn in a solid performance this week.

Scott on the other hand, has three top-ten results in the last two months on the PGA Tour and has been on the first page of the leaderboard at the Open Championship a handful of times in the last decade. The Australian has the arsenal to play well on links-style courses and should finish well ahead of Fox this week.

Pick: Adam Scott over Ryan Fox (-110)

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Lucas Herbert vs. Tom Kim

Another Australian makes our card this week in Lucas Herbert. The 27-year-old has a pair of T-4 finishes at the Scottish Open in the last three years and sits 8th on the DP World Tour money earned list. Herbert is coming off a T-15 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and has plenty of experience on links-style courses. It’s his experience on links-style courses that give him the edge here over Tom Kim.

The 21-year-old phenom does have plenty of international experience, with seven international victories already under his belt. Links golf is a different animal, though. The South Korean native did fare well here a year ago, finishing third, but the weather conditions last year were far more benign than they will be this year. For that reason, the edge goes to Herbert here.

Best of luck this week if you’re tailing! Let’s cash some tickets!

Pick: Lucas Herbert over Tom Kim (-110)