The Genesis Scottish Open begins Thursday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, bringing together a field ranked as the PGA Tour’s second-strongest of the season. The co-sanctioned tournament, which now carries full FedExCup and Race to Dubai points, serves as the final tune-up before next week’s Open Championship and has drawn 13 of the world’s top 20 players. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters as the consensus favorite, with bookmakers pricing him near +400 after nine consecutive top-10 finishes on Tour. Rory McIlroy, who edged Robert MacIntyre to win here in 2023, is the second choice at about +750, while defending champion MacIntyre, Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg and Norway’s Viktor Hovland headline the chasing pack. First-round tee times group Scheffler with MacIntyre and Adam Scott at 3:28 a.m. Eastern, and McIlroy alongside Hovland and Xander Schauffele at 8:43 a.m. Players expect firm, breezy conditions on the 7,282-yard, par-70 layout. Scheffler said links turf demands "more imagination on short shots" than U.S. courses, while McIlroy told reporters he would have been “a good player in any era” after practising with persimmon woods. Wind remains the primary defence at the modern links, where winning scores have ranged from 7-under to 22-under since the event moved to the venue in 2019. Coverage starts before dawn for U.S. audiences, with featured-group streaming on ESPN+ and network windows on CBS and Paramount+. The winner will secure a $1.62 million first prize, 500 FedExCup points and a prime boost ahead of Royal Troon.