The Genesis Scottish Open has become quite the week. For 2025, 88,000 spectators ambled round The Renaissance, taking in golf of the highest quality, whilst frantically applying suntan lotion. The co-sanctioned, Rolex Series event is now a firm favourite on tour, and the perfect starter for The Open’s main course.
An array of the best players
Home favourite, Bob MacIntyre arrived to defend his title. Whilst 2023 winner, Rory McIlroy was hoping for a solid week to gain momentum prior to his home Open. World number one and Open winner, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, and past winners, Aaron Rai, and Xander Schauffele were amongst the stellar field lined up to battle the East Lothian elements.
Links Golf At Its Best
What a week of weather. The course was the picture of links beauty, and with that came the links challenges. Dust flying from the fairways, firm and fast greens, testing winds, and unpredictable bounces and lies were the order of the day. The purest of tests.
With this unpredictability, came plenty of stories and fascinating sub plots. With final Open places on offer, plenty in the field had reason to make the week a successful one.
Stadium Hole Ace
Matt Fitzpatrick, after a tough season, was back on form. A spring in his step, and a smile on his face, he has always played well at the Renaissance. Co-leader after the first round, was Sepp Straka. With two wins on the PGA Tour this year, he couldn’t quite sustain a challenge into the final day. Joining him with a 64 on day one was Colombian, Nico Echavarra. Ultimately finishing tied 22nd, the ace on the Stadium Hole, 6th was a Sunday highlight.
Round of the Week
Round two saw the emergence of Gotterup. And what a way to do it. A best of the week 61 saw him fly up the leaderboard to sit on 11 under. In hot pursuit, was McIlroy with an impressive 65. Englishman, Marco Penge set the course alight on day two too. One of the longest on tour, the hard fairways played into his game beautifully.
Enjoying the Region’s Golf
Popular American, Jake Knapp was lurking behind too. After a third consecutive round in the 60s, he was only two shots off the lead going into the final day. Knapp and his father had enjoyed the delights of the West links at North Berwick earlier in the week, as had eventual winner, Gotterup. Honing their skills on the local courses is clearly the way to go for the tour pros.
Gotterup Too Good
It wasn’t to be back-to-back wins for our Scottish hero, and McIlroy certainly gave the winner a run for his money, but it was the consistency of America’s Chris Gotterup that proved pivotal. A level par 70 in round three, meant he headed into the final round paired with McIlroy. A daunting task, but a 66 to McIlroy’s 68, meant he triumphed by two.
See You On Scotland’s Golf Coast Next Year
A worthy winner. Under pressure, he rose to the challenge and played the golf course wonderfully on Sunday. Holing putts from six feet with aplomb, he was rarely out of position, and McIlroy didn’t have enough in the tank to push him down the last. The Genesis Scottish Open returns to The Renaissance Club in 2026. A big congratulations to those involved, it was once again a special week on Scotland’s Golf Coast.
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