Rory McIlroy is back in the game? After finishing the US Open at the second position, the World’s second-best golfer will return to the greens. McIlroy will be defending his title at the Genesis Scottish Open after a gap of 25 days, from what he marks as the lowest point as a professional.“It was nice to sort of blend in with the city a little bit,” were the first public comment made by him after his break.
But for him, it’s not just getting back on the course. Rory McIlroy wishes to win the National Championship because of its history. “To win trophies that Sam Snead is on or Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player or over in these parts, I think Faldo or Sandy Lyle or Seve, you know, that’s a cool thing to me. It sort of connects you with the people who came before you,” he said at the Wednesday presser. And well, as it turns out, it looks like the odds are absolutely in his favor.
As per the odds declared by FanDuel Sportsbook, betting on Rory McIlroy might have a lesser payout, but there is a larger probability of his win. The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the PGA Tour further reported the news, where he was given an odd of +800 at the Genesis Scottish Open. They even wrote, “Will @McIlroyRory go back-to-back @ScottishOpen?”
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Xander Schauffele, enjoying a pretty decent season this year, has claimed eleven top-10 finishes, so far. This also includes his win at the PGA Championship, defeating Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke. He was last seen at the Travelers Championship where he dropped down to a T13, and will be appearing this weekend at the National Championship after a three-week break. He has been voted right after Rory McIlroy for the odds (with a +900).
Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg, who just like Schauffele will be back in the game after three weeks, have taken the third spot on the list with a +1600 by the bookmaker. While, the last three spots have been grabbed by Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, and Tom Kim (+2000, +2200, +2500, respectively).
Despite all the odds, and circumstances hinting at Rory McIlroy taking over the win, the golf community does not go with their flow! Looks like they have their own choices for the win this time.
The Golf community wants Rory McIlroy to save it for the Open Championship
Rory McIlroy turned pro at the age of eighteen in 2007. Since then, he has had a total of 26 career wins on the PGA Tour. Well, for McIlroy, it wasn’t just the game that he excelled in, but he also managed to garner a huge fan base for himself. This is why when the Irish golfer stepped away from competitive golf after a tough finish at Pinehurst No. 2 missing two short putts on the back nine, costing him his chance at winning his fifth major title, the entire golf community felt it.
Now they do not want to risk the win at any cost and fans want him to save his energy and game plan for the upcoming Open Championship, which is the last men’s Major of the season. Taking to this, one of them wrote, “I hope not, and leaves it for next week”.
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One of them is still frustrated with his performance this season and the act of letting the trophy slide away with a very tiny margin. He simply commented, “No. He’s a choker”.
However, not every fan has the same notion behind ruling out the verdict of McIlroy having a higher chance of winning the game. Some of them are rooting for their favorite golfer to grab the win. Min Woo Lee has appeared in both the editions of the Genesis Scottish Open. While he missed the cut in the first edition, he dropped down to a 35 finish last year, with a 4-under.
However, he tied for the second position in his last appearance this season at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Some of his fans want him to grab his first win on the Tour at the Genesis Scottish Open. Taking to this, one of them commented, “It’s Min Woo Lee’s week.”
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Xander Schauffele will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He has won eight PGA tour events in his career. This includes winning the first edition of the Genesis Scottish Open in 2022, defeating Kurt Kitayama by just one stroke. And now he wishes to bag the title and reminisce the same feeling he had two years ago. So does his fans.
One from the lot knows that the field will be a roaring ground with Rory McIlroy back in it. Nonetheless, he went on rooting for both, Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, and wrote, “I’m going with Xander or Victor… but Rory will be up there.”
Ludvig Aberg missed the cut after playing the first two rounds at the Genesis Scottish Open last year. It was his fifth professional start outside the top 300 on the OWGR list. While, Tommy Fleetwood bagged the top 10 positions (T4, T6) in both appearances at the Genesis Scottish Open.
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There is a fan base that wishes for either of the two to get a hand at the trophy of the Genesis Scottish Open. One such person wrote, “Ludvig Aberg +1600, Tommy Fleetwood +2000. Those are the plays this week🔥 on a heater boys let’s ride”.
Who do you think will ultimately take home the trophy? Will it be the defending champion Rory McIlroy, the champion of the first edition Xander Schauffele, or will a new leader emerge this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
