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Scottish Open and The Open Championship Are Two Glorious Weeks Across the Pond

Pack your bags and grab your rain gear. Scotland is calling, and the golf world is about to get very interesting.

The Genesis Scottish Open kicks things off this week at The Renaissance Club, and then we're off to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship. Two tournaments, two different countries, one hell of a fortnight for anyone who loves this game.

Scottie's Back, and He's Brought Friends

Scottie Scheffler hasn't played since the Travelers Championship, which feels like forever in today's golf world. The world No. 1 rolled up to North Berwick with nine straight top-10s in his back pocket, including three wins. When Scheffler shows up anywhere, people pay attention.

But here's the thing – he's not alone. All five of the world's top-ranked players are teeing it up this week. That almost never happens. Rory McIlroy won this thing in 2023, and knows his way around The Renaissance Club. Xander Schauffele has won here before as well. Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa complete the top five, with Morikawa getting a new voice in his ear this week – Billy Foster is carrying the bag.

Foster is one of those caddies who's been everywhere and seen everything. If you're going to make a caddie change before The Open Championship, might as well go with someone who's walked those fairways more times than he can count.

MacIntyre Defending on Home Turf

Robert MacIntyre pulled off something special last year. Down three shots on the back nine with the Scottish crowd going absolutely mental, he somehow found a way to win his home open. That approach shot on 16 – from 247 yards in the rough, mind you – finished six feet from the hole and set up the eagle that basically sealed it.

No one's ever successfully defended the Scottish Open in the modern era. MacIntyre has a chance to be the first. The pressure's going to be enormous, but if anyone can handle it, it's a guy who's already proved he can deliver when the home crowd is losing their minds.

The Last Chance Saloon

Here's what makes this week really spicy: it's the final event in the Open Qualifying Series. The top three finishers who aren't already in next week's field get their golden tickets to Royal Portrush.

Imagine grinding for years to get a shot at The Open Championship, and it all comes down to four rounds in Scotland. Some guy you've never heard of could play the week of his life and find himself teeing it up next week alongside the best players in the world. That's what makes golf beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

J.J. Spaun is here for the first time since 2022, and he's carrying some serious momentum after that U.S. Open breakthrough. The T-14 at Travelers was solid enough, but let's be honest – everything is different when you've got a major under your belt. The way guys look at you in the locker room, the media obligations, even how you see yourself on the first tee. It's a whole new world for Spaun, and Scotland is about to find out how he handles it.

The Renaissance Club Has Some Bite

Tom Doak built something special at The Renaissance Club. It's not your typical Scottish links – carved out of pine forest with trees in all the right spots to make you think twice about your strategy. Then they added three holes along the coast through a land swap with Muirfield, because apparently the course needed to be even more spectacular.

The scoring record is 262, posted by both Bernd Wiesberger in 2019 and MacIntyre last year. Low numbers are out there if you can find them. But Scottish weather doesn't care about your scorecard. When the wind picks up and the conditions get firm, this place can bite you hard.

Royal Portrush Awaits

Next week's 153rd Open Championship brings us to Royal Portrush, and if you've never been, you're missing out. The Northern Ireland coast is something to behold, and the golf course is every bit as dramatic as the scenery.

Shane Lowry won there in 2019, and watching him close out that final round with the crowd going absolutely bananas was one of those moments that reminds you why golf can be so damn compelling. The course hadn't hosted The Open since 1951, when Max Faulkner won, making it the first venue outside Scotland and England to host the championship.

Five years later, Portrush proved it belonged on the biggest stage. Next week, it gets to do it again.

A Special Shoutout

Speaking of Scotland's magic, I have to give a shoutout to one of my students, Lincoln, who's currently living his best life in St. Andrews. This kid has come such a long way with his game, and there's no better place to soak up golf's history than the home of golf itself.

Lincoln, you're a stick, and I know you and your family are having the time of your lives exploring that magical little town. Enjoy every moment, soak up the atmosphere, and play well on those legendary courses. The Old Course awaits! I wouldn't mind at all doing a virtual lesson with you while you're there! Just saying ...

Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus walk arm-in-arm up the 18th at St. Andrews; July 12, 2005; St. Andrews, Scotland

Two Weeks of Pure Golf Theater

This is what we live for as golf fans. The Genesis Scottish Open gives us immediate drama with major championship implications. The Open Championship offers the sport's most prestigious prize in one of its most spectacular settings.

For the players, it's a chance to write their names in golf history. For the rest of us, it's two weeks of pure theater on some of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the world.

MacIntyre defending on home soil. Scheffler looking to remind everyone why he's No. 1. Unknown players grinding for their shot at The Open Championship. Links golf at its finest, with all the unpredictability that makes it so compelling.

The forecast calls for typical Scottish weather – which means anything could happen. The players are ready. The courses are waiting.