Chris Gotterup, previously unknown professional from New Jersey, took on Rory McIlroy and the rest of some big names to win the Scottish Open.  Gotterup held up under the pressure and his putting made the difference.  He had been ranked 126th on the PGA Tour in putting,  but this week he was No. 3.  McIlroy appeared to be in position to win this event again after winning in 2023.  He just couldn’t make the putts required to beat Gotterup although he was in position to do so on Sunday’s back nine.   Gotterup continued to hole putts without giving McIlroy an opening that could have changed the outcome with the Scottish crowd clearly hoping for another Rory victory.  The opening never materialized and McIlroy was unable to convert the birdie putts needed to catch the young man from the New Jersey.  It reminded me of the Open Championship that McIlroy lost to Cameron Smith at St. Andrews.  McIlroy is a tremendous talent and probably could have been the GOAT that we ascribe either to Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods.  Tiger intimidated competitors and essentially gained stroke advantages mentally, while McIlroy doesn’t possess that intimidation factor because he has not executed his superiority in a number of events despite being a holder of the four majors and many victories to his significant skill.  Gotterup will have to change his airline ticket from Newark to Belfast as he’ll be teeing it up in this week’s Open Championship at Portrush.

The Scottish Open is becoming more than a warm-up event for the Open Championship.  The venue is now fixed at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland about 50 miles from the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.  The Scottish Open used to be a European PGA event but is now co-sponsored by the US PGA and DP World Tour.  It’s been at the Renaissance Club since 2019 and will probably continue as the host course for the event.  The course measures about 7300 yards and this year the weather was not a factor as there was no rain, little wind and brilliant sunshine throughout most of the event.  The whole of Europe is experiencing extreme heat and temperatures in North Berwick have been above normal giving the players the opportunity to “drive and gouge.”  The fairways were as brown as Scottish gingerbread and rough was wispy.  In these dry conditions, I often remember that the gorse bushes caught fire at one Open Championship venue years ago at St. Andrews.  Usually conditions such as these would enable scoring to go very low but the course  presents some difficulties with its bunkering and the size and nuances of the putting surfaces.   The course design lends itself to long driving, but the ball had better be in the fairway.  The rough was kinder than normal due to the sunny conditions as it tended to be wispy producing some uncontrollable flyers.  In other spots, it was penal and cost the player a half or full stroke on the hole.  Tee shots that found fairway bunkers would generally lose a stroke so accuracy off the tee was a premium for these players.  A number of competitors including world No. 1, Scotty Scheffler were on and off the first page of the leaderboard.  The putts didn’t drop for Scheffler either and he was sanguine about the venue accepting his fate but feeling a bit flummoxed by the results.  Last year, home favorite Scot Robert McIntyre won here in tougher windy conditions, but could only muster a tie for 65th having just made the cut on Friday.

The Renaissance course is the handiwork of Tom Doak, famous for Bandon Dunes and a number of other venues.  Renaissance is still young and it’s a course for all levels of play but it simply can’t compare to its wonderful cousins in the area.  North Berwick Golf Club is right down the road and unfortunately is too short for the professionals but is a wonderful track for all the rest of us. Guillen and Muirfield also dot the area. Doak used a number of his trademark architectural skills to layout the course but it is not as impressive as a venue such as Kingsbarns.  For me, the 13th hole is a spectacular design and should be the signature hole for the course.  It reminds me of the famous 12th hole at Old Head with a similar idea.  The 13th is a par 4, 418 yard hole that requires surgical precision especially with the prevailing wind blowing from right to the ocean on the left.  The tee shot has to avoid the mounding on the right but in the wind that might be the correct aim to get the ball in the fairway.  The fairway narrows considerably and any approach shot that is pulled left with find oceanic rocks or the water itself.  If the tee shot misses the fairway on the right, the approach will be a very high level of difficulty to get near a large green especially if the pin position is in the rear.  Adrenalin will pop into your soul on this hole and a par will be a very good score.  I still believe that the 12th at Old Head is the toughest par 4 on planet earth but the 13th hole at Renaissance comes close.

Despite its youth in the heritage of its competitors in East Lothian,  the Renaissance course will continue to mature and provide a good venue for Scotland and a prime preliminary for the Open Championship.