DFS Dish: Focus rosters around past champion Xander Schauffele at The Renaissance Club

The 42nd Genesis Scottish Open tees it up at The Renaissance Club for the sixth consecutive season.

For the third year in a row, the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour will co-sanction the event. The field of 156 players will consist of the top 75 players from the DP World Tour, three sponsor exemptions, three members from the KPGA, and the rest of the field filled by PGA TOUR players.

The Tom Doak design opened in 2008, will stretch to 7,237 yards and play to par 70 for the third consecutive edition but has five par 3s and three par 5s.

DraftKings: Top of the board

Rory McIlroy ($11,900): The defending champion holed over 330 feet of putts to claim the trophy last season. The club that has been giving him the most trouble recently will be needed to capitalize on his tee-to-green play to become the first player at The Renaissance Club to defend the title successfully. The post-U.S. Open reset should have his mind and game refocused and ready for golf across the pond.

Xander Schauffele ($11,700): The recent major champion is the second choice this week everywhere. A winner here two years ago in blustery conditions on the East Lothian coast also shared 10th place in 2021. Sitting six shots off the 54-hole lead, a closing round 74 saw him slip out of the conversation on Sunday. Winning a major championship changes lives, but the Californian has rattled off T7, T8, and T13 since entering that club. Possessing the perfect demeanor for links golf, I won’t have to worry about anything outside the ropes or acclimating to this golf style.

Overvalued or undervalued?

Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,000): With just one appearance in the top 10 on TOUR since early April, the Englishman has me scratching my head. Having flashed at The Renaissance Club in 2021 (P2) and T6 in 2022, he missed the cut last year and sits at No. 53 in Strokes Gained: Total, well down the list of players entered this week. If the forecast were more than breezes of 5-10 mph, I’d be more inclined to invest.

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,900): The Englishman has produced results of T26 or better in four consecutive appearances in North Berwick. Losing in an October playoff to Aaron Rai in 2020, he returned with T26 in 2021, T4 in 2022, and T6 last year.Growing up on the coast of England, he should feel at home in the breeze and cool, salty air. Cashing T26 or better in his last six on the PGA TOUR, his form is not of any concern.

Viktor Hovland ($9,700): Refining his game in the constantly windy state of Oklahoma, the reigning FedExCup champion should have all the shots for breezy, coastal conditions. Cashing T25 in the 2023 edition after missing the cut on debut in 2022, the Norwegian has fared better in The Open Championship (T13, T4, and T12) the week after getting tuned up.

Thomas Detry ($7,200): Making his sixth consecutive start at The Renaissance Club, the Belgian has my attention this week. The runner-up in a three-man playoff to Min Woo Lee in 2021, he returned to the top 10 (T10) the following season. The lights-out putter, currently sixth SG: Putting, will not mind the wider fairways and welcoming green complexes. Cashing T4 at the PGA Championship and T14 at the U.S. Open should have opened a few more eyes.

Makers or breakers

Corey Conners ($8,900): Making the cut in 25 consecutive events, the Canadian ball-striking machine continues to roll along. After T27 at the Travelers Championship, his streak of top-30 paychecks has reached six straight.

Robert MacIntyre ($7,800): Already a winner on the PGA TOUR this season, the homecoming for the 2023 runner-up will provide him with a home-country advantage. Since the move to The Renaissance Club, no native son has picked up the trophy.

Max Homa ($7,700): The last time the Californian was on the radar on the weekend was in early May at the Wells Fargo Championship, an event he had previously won. The drought that followed resulted in missing the weekend during two of his next five starts and no paychecks inside the top 20. Cashing T12 last year and T16 in 2022, the six-time winner on TOUR also picked up his best finish, to date at the time, T10 at the Open Championship last summer.

Ewen Ferguson ($6,700): The winner last week on the DP World Tour event in Munich, this Scotsman ran T12 last year and made the cut in the 2022 edition. A nice intersection of course form and current form.

Tom McKibbin ($7,000): This might be the Holywood, Northern Irishman to watch this week. The red-hot 21-year-old has cashed in 13 of 14 with nine resulting in T16 or better. Falling in a playoff to Marcel Siem in Italy two weeks ago, his P2 was his fourth top-10 result in his last six.

Matthieu Pavon ($6,900): The winner at a demanding, coastal Torrey Pines in January followed with T3 at Pebble Beach before continuing his career season with T12 at the Masters, and solo fifth at the U.S. Open.

Jordan Smith ($6,600): Tied with Ferguson after 54 holes in Munich last week, the Englishman should be more than eager to get back at it this week on another track he enjoys. A streak of eight consecutive paydays was broken the week prior in Italy, but his bounce-back lessens my worry. Posting four rounds in the 60s last year, he signed for T12 after three rounds in the 60s for T24 in 2022.

Gary Woodland ($5,500): The 2019 U.S. Open winner at Pebble Beach has found the top 30 in his last two visits to East Lothian, including opening with 64 in the 2022 edition. The big hitter makes for a big longshot this week, but he’s on familiar grounds.

The lineup

Here’s a look at how I would devise a six-team roster this week while staying below the $50,000 salary cap offered for DraftKings contests:

• Xander Schauffele ($11,700)
• Tommy Fleetwood ($9,900)
• Robert MacIntyre ($7,800)
• Tom McKibbin ($7,000)
• Matthieu Pavon ($6,900)
• Jordan Smith ($6,600)

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