Scottish Open: Fleetwood looks good but Hatton, Fox and Rai have links pedigree

The LIV Golf controversy rages on and it won’t go away at the Renaissance Club, where nine of the world’s top 10 (Rory McIlroy is not playing), 31 of the top 50 and 54 of the top 100 (including LIV Golf’s Ian Poulter) are in the field.

Hatton can build on Irish display

World number one Scottie Scheffler was tied 12th on his debut there last year, but we’re more inclined to go for England’s Tyrrell Hatton (50), who has shot six of eight rounds in the sixties at the Renaissance Club en route to top-20 finishes there in 2019 and 2021.

Hatton’s form has not been good recently as evidenced by missed cuts in the Canadian Open and the Irish Open either side of a tie for 56th in the US Open at Brookline. But he showed some form in Ireland earlier this week, finishing fourth in the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am, just three shots behind winner Xander Schauffele on Tuesday.

Hatton also has a good record in the Scottish Open wherever it is played, recording three top-10s and six top 22 finishes from seven starts, including two top 10s. Two of his seven wins have also come on links terrain, both in the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrews, which hosts The 150th Open next week.

Jon Rahm certainly a contender for Scottish Open crown

Rahm a strong contender

With such a high-quality field, it’s hard to look past Jon Rahm (15.5) or current Open champion Collin Morikawa (38), who are comfortable on links. Rahm, a two-time Irish Open winner, will be tough to beat at the Renaissance Club, where he was seventh behind Min Woo Lee (85) last year.

However, many are looking at the in-form Aaron Rai (90), who won in 2020. Rai was tied ninth on a rain-sodden Mount Juliet in the Irish Open last week. However, outside Hatton, there is also value to be had in New Zealander Ryan Fox (48), who looks poised to win for the seventh time as a professional.

He was with three runner-up finishes this season, most recently at Mount Juliet, as well as another three top 10s since his win in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in February, the Aucklander looks like a man on a mission.

His top top-10s from five starts came in 2017 and 2018, but his form is so good it is hard to see him not featuring in the latter groups come Saturday’s third round. England’s Jack Senior, who was tied 10th last year, looks a rank outsider at 500. But he was in the mix in Ireland and putted well, making him a dangerous man if the wind blows.

The Renaissance Club, which hosts for the fourth year in a row, is next to Muirfield and while there are many trees, designer Tom Doak has worked with Pádraig Harrington on its set-up for the Scottish Open.

Fleetwood finding his touch

While hitting fairways and greens is always a winning combination, putting is a massive factor if there is any wind and 46 shot Tommy Fleetwood appears to have regained his touch after a disappointing 2021 on the greens.

Second to Rai at the Renaissance Club in 2020 after some glaring misses on the greens, he looks poised to win for the first time since capturing the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2019

Recommended bets

Tommy Fleetwood @ 46

Ryan Fox @ 48

Tyrrell Hatton @ 50

Aaron Rai @ 90