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Day two of the Scottish Open featured some of the biggest names in golf climbing up the leaderboard at Renaissance Golf Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
Tyrell Hatton posted an 8-under round of 62 in the morning and moved up into a tie for second at 9-under par with Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An. Rory McIlroy leads the event by one stroke (10-under) after his 66 on Friday.
The tee times have been moved up for Saturday’s round three, and play will begin at 2:00 a.m. ET.
Scottish Open Day 3 Prediction: Head-to-head Matchup (18 holes)
The day three head-to-head matchup we are recommending is for Saturday’s round only.
Xander Schauffele over Justin Thomas @ 8/13 (-162)
A year ago, this matchup would’ve been closer to a complete coinflip, but this season, Justin Thomas has struggled while Xander Schauffele has remained one of the world’s best.
Over the past 1.5 months, Thomas has missed the cut in three of the last five events and earned just one top 10. Since the start of the calendar year, the Goshen, Kentucky native has earned just three top 10s.
Schauffele’s results have been the opposite, with the 29-year-old making every cut this season (ranks first on tour with 28 consecutive). His previous five events have featured two top 10s (including a solo second) and three top 20s.
The San Diego native has also performed better at Renaissance Golf Club (won the Scottish Open in 2022). He’s also averaging nearly two strokes better than Thomas per round at the venue.
Results/strokes gained average at the Scottish Open (2019-2022 H/T Ron Klos)
- Schauffele: 2022 (Won), 2021 (10th), total strokes gained average per round: 2.68
- Thomas: 2022 (Missed cut), 2021 (8th), total strokes gained average per round: 0.70
The Olympic gold medalist, Schauffele, is also a links golf specialist and has outplayed his compatriot in the category since 2014 (H/T Ron Klos).
Strokes gained: average on links courses (2014-2023)
- Schauffele: 2.13 (34 rounds)
- Thomas: 0.68 (32 rounds)
In the last five tournaments, when both participated in the third round, Schauffele scored lower in four of the five. You’ll notice there are some big tournaments missing, such as the U.S. Open, but that’s because Thomas failed to reach the weekend in those events. Schauffele also earned a better finish in four of the five tournaments aside from the Travelers Championship.
Head-to-head in third rounds (Past five shared events)
| Tournament | Schauffele’s Rd 3 Score | Thomas’ Rd 3 Score |
| Travelers Championship | 67 | 62 |
| PGA Championship | 71 | 75 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | 64 | 70 |
| RBC Heritage | 70 | 72 |
| The Players Championship | 69 | 71 |
The 29-year-old former San Diego State Aztec is also averaging lower scores on Saturdays across the entire campaign compared to Thomas (University of Alabama product).
Third-round scoring averages (PGA Tour)
- Schauffele: 69.857 (14 rounds)
- Thomas: 70.167 (12 rounds)
When playing across all four rounds, Schauffele is averaging nearly 1.5 strokes better than his fellow Ryder Cup teammate.
Scoring averages (PGA Tour)
Schauffele: 69.251 in 57 rounds (ranks fifth)
Thomas: 70.693 in 56 rounds (ranks 67th)
Through two days at the Scottish Open, Schauffele sits at 4-under par in a tie for 29th compared to Thomas at 3-under in a tie for 45th. Things just haven’t been the same for Thomas after winning the 2022 PGA Championship last May.
This year he’s slid down to 20th in the Official World Golf Rankings compared to Schauffele, who is sixth and has collected three wins since April 24, 2022.
The -8/13 (-162) odds for the mythical two-ball (tie included) on Boyle Sportsbook are a little steep for a matchup but fair based on where the two players’ games are at.
Remember, anything can happen in golf, especially in just 18 holes. These players are among the best in the world, and underdogs can win at any time, so please gamble responsibly.
If you’re interested in seeing complete tournament logs for Schauffele and Thomas, view their season results below.
| DATE | TOURNAMENT | POS | OVERALL SCORE | EARNINGS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/13 – 10/16 | Accordia Golf Narashino CC | T9 | 67-69-69-65 | 270 (-10) | $297,000 |
12/1 – 12/4 | Albany | 4 | 72-68-69-68 | 277 (-11) | — |
1/5 – 1/8 | Sentry Tournament of Champions Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course) | Withdrawn | 70-32 | 102 (-2) | — |
1/19 – 1/22 | Pete Dye Stadium Course | T3 | 65-68-68-62 | 263 (-25) | $472,000 |
1/25 – 1/28 | Torrey Pines (North Course) | T13 | 72-71-69-72 | 284 (-4) | $160,515 |
2/9 – 2/12 | TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) | T10 | 67-67-70-70 | 274 (-10) | $485,000 |
2/16 – 2/19 | Riviera Country Club | T33 | 69-74-70-68 | 281 (-3) | $104,429 |
3/2 – 3/5 | Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge | T39 | 68-70-75-76 | 289 (+1) | $70,029 |
3/9 – 3/12 | TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course) | T19 | 72-73-69-68 | 282 (-6) | $275,000 |
4/6 – 4/9 | Augusta National Golf Club | T10 | 68-74-71-71 | 284 (-4) | $432,000 |
4/13 – 4/16 | Harbour Town Golf Links | 4 | 67-66-70-66 | 269 (-15) | $980,000 |
4/20 – 4/23 | TPC Louisiana | T4 | 67-63-66-66 | 262 (-26) | — |
5/4 – 5/7 | Quail Hollow Club | 2 | 66-69-64-70 | 269 (-15) | $2,180,000 |
5/18 – 5/21 | Oak Hill Country Club | T18 | 72-72-71-67 | 282 (+2) | $214,400 |
6/1 – 6/4 | The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday Muirfield Village Golf Club | T24 | 77-66-72-74 | 289 (+1) | $163,000 |
6/15 – 6/18 | Los Angeles Country Club | T10 | 62-70-73-72 | 277 (-3) | $435,018 |
6/22 – 6/25 | TPC River Highlands | T19 | 68-64-67-67 | 266 (-14) | $245,800 |
| DATE | TOURNAMENT | POS | OVERALL SCORE | EARNINGS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10/20 – 10/23 | Congaree Golf Club | T40 | 68-73-72-69 | 282 (-2) | $38,430 |
12/1 – 12/4 | Albany | 5 | 72-70-66-70 | 278 (-10) | — |
1/5 – 1/8 | Sentry Tournament of Champions Kapalua Resort (Plantation Course) | T25 | 70-70-67-70 | 277 (-15) | $213,333 |
1/25 – 1/28 | Torrey Pines (North Course) | T25 | 68-74-73-72 | 287 (-1) | $66,845 |
2/9 – 2/12 | TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) | 4 | 71-68-67-65 | 271 (-13) | $980,000 |
2/16 – 2/19 | Riviera Country Club | T20 | 68-73-69-69 | 279 (-5) | $197,667 |
3/2 – 3/5 | Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge | T21 | 72-67-72-74 | 285 (-3) | $226,333 |
3/9 – 3/12 | TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course) | T60 | 73-73-71-71 | 288 (E) | $55,250 |
3/16 – 3/19 | Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) | T10 | 69-70-72-70 | 281 (-3) | $181,575 |
4/6 – 4/9 | Augusta National Golf Club | Missed Cut | 70-78 | 148 (+4) | — |
4/13 – 4/16 | Harbour Town Golf Links | T25 | 69-68-72-66 | 275 (-9) | $160,500 |
5/4 – 5/7 | Quail Hollow Club | T14 | 68-67-70-71 | 276 (-8) | $355,000 |
5/18 – 5/21 | Oak Hill Country Club | T65 | 72-73-75-72 | 292 (+12) | $29,750 |
6/1 – 6/4 | The Memorial Tournament pres. by Workday Muirfield Village Golf Club | Missed Cut | 75-75 | 150 (+6) | — |
6/15 – 6/18 | Los Angeles Country Club | Missed Cut | 73-81 | 154 (+14) | — |
6/22 – 6/25 | TPC River Highlands | T9 | 70-64-62-67 | 263 (-17) | $525,000 |
6/29 – 7/2 | Detroit Golf Club | Missed Cut | 76-69 | 145 (+1) | — |
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