NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — The Scottish Open has the look of a major championship week, not so much because of the strength of the field or the heritage of the golf course.
It’s about the collection of players.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are among seven players from LIV Golf competing this week in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event along Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Given the divide in golf that began four years ago when LIV Golf launched, they only get together four times a year at the majors.
“I’ve talked about wanting to have all of the best players in the world play together,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “Yeah, I guess this is good.”
He also made clear it’s not all that unusual.
The Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the European tour and the PGA Tour. Rahm is back in good graces with the European tour, and the other six LIV players — Hatton, David Puig, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Laurie Canter and Tom McKibbin — still have standing in Europe.
All have played European tour events while on LIV. The rarity is being among the PGA Tour’s leading stars, who are here to prepare for the British Open next week.
LIV players previously had a tournament in Spain during the Scottish Open. Now the league, which will lose its Saudi funding after this season, has been off for a month and won’t resume until its UK stop right after the British Open.
“Just happy the DP World Tour let me have the opportunity and that I can be here and play what’s not only a great week but a great golf course, great crowd,” Rahm said. “It’s one of my favorite weeks, so it’s really fun to be here again.
“Although I love Valderrama … this one gets you much more prepared for The Open and that’s why so many players have come and played the Scottish Open before it was a co-sanctioned event.”
Asked if it felt any different, Rahm replied without elaboration, “No.”
A few spots down the range from Scheffler at The Renaissance Club was his fellow American, Patrick Reed, who hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since the 2022 Memorial before he went to LIV.
Reed is no longer with the rival league, deciding not to renew his contract at the start of the yearand then playing his way to the top of the Race to Dubai. He is almost certain to regain PGA Tour status as one of the 10 leading players on the European tour.
Reed is banned from the PGA Tour until September — he is playing the Scottish Open as a European tour member — though he plans to stick with a full European tour schedule through the fall.
So by appearance, it looks as though golf is being put back together.
