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2026 Scottish Open: Five Things That Make This Star-Studded Tournament Must-See TV

Andy Nesbitt|
Scottie Scheffler is back in action this week at the Scottish Open.
Scottie Scheffler is back in action this week at the Scottish Open. | Tracy Wilcox/Getty Images

We have reached the fun part of the men’s professional goal season when the big names jump on big planes and fly across the pond for some high-stakes links golf.

It starts Thursday with the first round of the Scottish Open, which is once again being played at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, and then continues next week with the British Open, the final major championship of the year, at famed Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

Here are five things that will make this year’s Scottish Open a very fun watch this week.

Links golf is just so cool

As a golf fan there’s just something really cool about watching the best players in the world playing some true links golf. Scotland is where the game of golf was born, and most of the courses over there are just so different from what we’re used to seeing during the rest of the year on the PGA Tour. Players have to not only fight windy conditions, but they have to hit shots they’re not used to hitting in the U.S. They will use the ground in front of greens to get close to pins and they will face some difficult shots from the pot bunkers that play like actual hazards.

I mean, look at this beautiful bunker at The Renaissance Club:

Yes, please.

The field is stacked, with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy leading the way

Lots of big-name players will be teeing it up in order to get a good feel for links golf before the British Open, and also to get their bodies adjusted to the time change.

NESBITT: 10 Biggest Names Playing in the Scottish Open

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the top two players in the world, will both be in action this week. The last time we saw Scheffler in action he missed a short putt in a Monday morning playoff at the Travelers Championship that gave Viktor Hovland the win. We haven’t seen McIlroy since the U.S. Open, where he made the cut but wasn’t a factor over the weekend.

Here’s a look at McIlroy getting in some work this week:

Speaking of the U.S. Open, this year’s champ, Wyndham Clark, is in the field and he’ll be looking to stay red-hot heading into next year’s British Open.

Jon Rahm is playing

Jon Rahm, of course, plays on LIV Golf, a league that seems to be close to extinction. He’s able to play this week since it’s a co-sanctioned event by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. The Spaniard recently settled his fines with the DP World Tour, clearing him to play at The Renaissance Club. The PGA Tour, however, will not give him his Tour card if he ends up being the winner on Sunday.

Rahm will be looking to get his links game in shape for next week. He’s played in all three majors so far this year, with his best finish being a T2 at the PGA Championship in May. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open last month. It will be interesting to see how he fares this week against some of his old friends.

Chris Gotterup is looking to defend his title

Gotterup got the biggest win of his career here last year when he held off McIlroy by two strokes. Since then he has won three times on the PGA Tour, with the last one coming a few days ago at the John Deere Classic.

The 26-year-old American from New Jersey was the 165th ranked player in the world this time last year. Now he’s No. 7 and has become a real force on the PGA Tour. Let’s see how he does in defending his title. Even if he doesn’t, he’s definitely a player to watch next week.

Early morning golf!

One of life’s greatest joys as a golf fan is waking up early in the morning, flipping on the TV and seeing the best players in the world playing live golf on a links course that’s along a body of water. And that’s what we’ll get the next two weeks.

Just look at these ESPN+ coverage times, all ET:

  • Thursday-Friday: 3:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Saturday: 3:45 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Sunday: 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Brings a tear to my tired eyes!

Here are the broadcast times:

  • Thursday-Friday: 11 a.m-2 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-noon (Golf Channel); noon-3 p.m. (CBS)

Now get on your couch and enjoy some links golf.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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