The PGA travels across the pond for the Genesis Scottish Open one week ahead of the Open Championship.
The Renaissance Club has tree-lined fairways with sustained winds being a potential issue. For that, I’m looking for accurate ball strikers off the tee with good iron play who can putt. Here’s one head-to-head to wager this week. These bets took a hit last week and are now 15-9-2, although many are at plus money, which keeps the return on investment in check.
Justin Rose -120 vs. Sam Burns
This is the exact type of course setup I like for Rose, who is not long off the tee (75th in the field for distance) but is accurate (ninth best). Rose is also 18th in the field for his iron play and 10th best for putting, gaining strokes in both categories in five of his last six tournaments. If wind does become a factor along the narrow fairways, Rose has experience — not only with the second-most recorded rounds between the Open Championship and Scottish Open, but this year Rose won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which could be a comparison for similar conditions.
There isn’t anything in particular that Sam Burns is doing poorly at the moment. Although he does have three missed cuts in his last six tournaments, Burns is still gaining strokes with his irons and putter. However, Rose is just performing at a higher level, with only one missed cut in the same time span. Between the two, Rose is the stronger iron player and better short game player. Although he missed the cut in the US Open, he did shoot a second-round 68, rebounding from an opening-round 76. The ability is there and Renaissance could suit his strengths well.