There is always plenty of discussion surrounding the best possible way to prepare for major championships, particularly when a number of notable events have been scheduled the week before the four biggest tournaments of the year.
The Truist Championship was played the week before the PGA Championship, while Rory McIlroy was the biggest name in the field for the Canadian Open in the days leading up to the US Open.
And the Genesis Scottish Open boasted a star-studded field ahead of this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush. All of the top five players in the world rankings took on The Renaissance Club before the final major of the year.
But of course, some would have chosen to get themselves to Northern Ireland a little earlier in the hope of learning more about Royal Portrush.
What several players were saying about their decision to play the Scottish Open rather than head to Royal Portrush early
It is set to be only the third time that Portrush has hosted The Open Championship, with Shane Lowry winning in 2019 after a 68 year wait for the course’s second go.
The Renaissance Club asked some of the questions players will face in the coming days. But the two golf courses provide largely different tests.
Nevertheless, speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard insisted that many players were extremely pleased with their decision to play in Scotland this past week rather than get to Northern Ireland a little sooner.
“I go back to what a lot of players, including Rory, told me earlier in the week. There’s a lot of ways to get ready for The Open Championship, and my argument and I think I made this on Wednesday’s podcast was there is no better way to prepare for the year’s final major championship than to come here and play,” he said.
“The PGA Tour only has two true links golf courses on its schedule: this week and next week. And you could, which I think some players do and it used to be more of the norm, come over a couple of days early and try and get some rounds in, maybe wherever is close to Portrush, try to get acclimated, try to get used to the timezone, and that is one way to do it. But I had so many players tell me this week it is such a better way, because now you’re doing all of those things with a scorecard in your hand. You don’t have the luxury of mailing it in or throwing down another shot or doing all the things you do during a casual round.”
What Scottie Scheffler did for the first time this year ahead of The Open Championship
The Genesis Scottish Open saw Scottie Scheffler make a change from his usual preparation. The world number one did not play in the event last year, having opted to instead head to Royal Troon early to get some additional practice in.
And this past week marked the first time this year that Scheffler has decided to play the week before a major, having sat out the Valero Texas Open, the Truist Championship and the Canadian Open earlier in the season.
The 29-year-old ended up finishing in a tie for eighth in North Berwick, which is perhaps an ominous sign for some of his rivals.
It will be interesting to see how his performance at Portrush potentially influences how he prepares for the majors in 2026 and beyond.
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