When it comes to the 2026 season at least, the Scottish Open has a genuine case to be considered the fifth biggest event of the year.
The PGA Tour recently announced the field for the event at the Renaissance Club. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will both be involved as they prepare for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
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But of course, the Scottish Open is an event that is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour. With that, LIV Golf stars such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will also feature.
It is the first event associated with the PGA Tour that Rahm and Hatton have played since joining LIV ahead of the 2024 season.
The Scottish Open now has one of the strongest fields of the entire year
Some big names will not be involved, as they look to gear up for the final major of the year in another way. However, it is a huge win for the Scottish Open to bring so many of the world’s best players together.
And one person who should have a very keen eye on how well the Scottish Open performs is Brian Rolapp.
The notion that the 2026 Scottish Open is the fifth biggest event of the season will probably not sit right with those at Ponte Vedra.
Of course, many will remember the backlash the PGA Tour received earlier this year after they unveiled a trailer for The Players Championship with the tagline: ‘March is going to be major’.
TPC Sawgrass is a phenomenal venue. While few agree with Brandel Chamblee’s bizarre claim that The Players is bigger than any of the majors, most are comfortable with the event being considered the most prestigious outside of The Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open Championship.
One of the main reasons that The Players is not worthy of major status is the fact that a handful of the best players in the world are not eligible to take part.
An event that Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Smith cannot play in simply cannot be considered a major, regardless of what you think of LIV.
Calls for the PGA Tour to make a change to The Players Championship may soon get even louder
You can understand the PGA Tour’s stance on not letting LIV golfers feature at The Players. They do not want to provide a platform for those who tried to harm the tour by jumping ship.
It would also be a terrible look if LIV Golf could gloat about Rahm going into enemy territory and winning the most important title on the PGA Tour.
Having said that, if the PGA Tour wants to elevate The Players to the next level, they seriously need to consider inviting all of the best players in the world, regardless of what tour they play on.
Fans are going to be fascinated to see how Rahm fares up in North Berwick in a field with McIlroy and Scheffler. It is certainly going to further whet the appetite for The Open.
And if the Scottish Open delivers in the coming days, the calls for the PGA Tour to allow LIV players to feature at TPC Sawgrass may get even louder.
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