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The 2023 Scottish Open is underway in North Berwick and as many people predicted, Rory McIlroy is enjoying a good start. The tournament has a staggered past, with the event once being taken off the tour for 13 years due to a lack of television interest. However, it is now firmly regarded as one of golf’s biggest events.
In recent times, the event has always taken place the week prior to the Open Championship. It has often been the last chance saloon for qualification for the Open which has made the stakes high in Scotland. Additionally, it is a Rolex event on the DP World Tour which means huge prize money is up for grabs for the winner. Since 2022, the event has been co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour which has only increased the prestige around it.
Where is the Scottish Open played?
For a prestigious tournament, a prestigious golf course is needed and the Scottish Open has exactly that with The Renaissance Club. The club in North Berwick has been the host of the tournament since 2019 but prior to that, the Scottish Open had been held at a whole host of different golf courses across the country.
When the tournament first launched back in 1972, the event was held at Downfield Golf Club in Dundee. The event was won by Neil Coles before the event moved St Andrews the year after where Australian, Graham Marsh came out on top. This would be the last time that the famous old course would host the Scottish Open.
After 1973, the tournament wasn’t held again until 1986 due to a lack of interest from television stations. When it did return, Haggs Castle was the host before Gleneagles claimed ownership of the tournament for an eight-year stretch until 1994. Ian Woosnam seemed to enjoy playing the tournament at Gleneagles as he won two Scottish Open titles over this eight-year stretch.
Since 1994, courses such as Carnoustie and Castle Stuart have enjoyed hosting multiple versions of the event, however, Loch Lomond holds the record for hosting the most Scottish Opens. From 1996-2010, the famous course was the home of the tournament before organisers decided to move the tournament to Links-only courses in 2011 to ensure players had better preparation for the Open Championship.
Since 2019, the tournament has found a new home at The Renaissance Club and to date, the course has produced four different winners. The course is set to continue hosting the tournament until at least 2016 but a new contract could be agreed to keep it there for much longer.
The Renaissance Club info
The Renaissance Club provides a tough test to golfers in the week prior to the Open Championship and has a number of tricky holes. The course is a par-71 but when the wind is blowing, like it often does in Scotland, many holes can play much longer than their yardage suggests.
In recent years, Padraig Harrington has worked with the club to make the course more difficult for the big-hitter on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour to ensure that the tournament is challenging. Harrington’s adjustments seemed to have worked, too, with the winning score at the Scottish Open going from -22 in 2019, to -7 in 2022.
Historically, the hardest hole on the course is the par-four 18th which will really test your nerve on a Sunday if you are in contention for the championship. Over all four Scottish Opens held at The Renaissance Club, the hole has played at an average of 0.27 over-par, and last year there were more bogeys or worse on the hole than pars or better.
Last year’s winner, Xander Schauffele, managed to win the event despite going bogey, bogey, bogey in rounds 2-4 on the 18th last year.
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