Slate Breakdown | The Scottish Open & Barbasol Championship

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Double the excitement! It's a dual tournament week on the PGA TOUR, featuring two Reignmaker PGA TOUR Slates: one for the Scottish Open and one for the Barbasol Championship. These tournaments couldn't be more different from each other, both geographically and in terms of the strength of the field.

Firstly, these events take place on opposite sides of the Atlantic, offering a unique blend of challenges and playing conditions. Secondly, the strength of the field varies significantly between the two tournaments, with the Scottish Open attracting many of the world's top golfers, while the Barbasol Championship features a different level of competition.

In this article, we will provide a setup for both tournaments, offering some essential information about each event. Finally, we will conclude by highlighting a couple of targets to consider for your Reignmakers lineups this week, catering to the distinct characteristics of each tournament.

The Tournament(s)

Let's begin with the Scottish Open, as it locks early in the morning on Thursday and offers a larger prize pool and a stronger field. This "premium" event has a total prize pool of $275,000, with top prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 across various tiers, including CORE and REIGNMAKER.

On the other hand, the Barbasol Championship will commence later on Thursday morning. While the field may be comparatively weaker, golfers will still compete for valuable FedEx Cup points as the season nears its end. The first-place prizes at higher tiers remain enticing, with opportunities to win $10,000 at the ELITE and REIGNMAKER levels, and $5,000 at the LEGENDARY level. These are the same first-place prizes available for the Scottish Open contests.

With an understanding of the stakes, let's delve into the profile of golfers who might perform well at each event by exploring the courses they will play this week.

The Course(s)

The Renaissance Club, a prestigious resort located in the charming coastal town of North Berwick, Scotland, will serve as the host venue for the Scottish Open for the fifth consecutive year. This course beautifully encompasses various elements of Scottish terrain, featuring parkland areas, rolling hills, and stunning coastal holes. Its unique characteristics have played a significant role in elevating the Scottish Open to one of the most esteemed non-major championships in the world. The course is set up as a par 70, stretching around 7,300 yards, with three par 5s and five par 3s. One of the notable challenges at this course is the unpredictable nature of the weather, which can greatly impact scoring. Winning scores have ranged from as low as -8 to as high as -22, adding to the excitement and unpredictability of the tournament.

Switching gears to the Barbasol Championship, this tournament takes place in the heart of bluegrass country at the Champions Club at Keene Trace. The well-designed course presents a fair challenge without overly tricking the players, often resulting in winning scores of better than 20 under par.

The Golfers

As mentioned earlier, the field for the Scottish Open is significantly stronger compared to the Barbasol Championship. Nine out of the top 11 golfers in the world are participating in the Scottish Open, with only Jon Rahm and Cam Smith absent. Prominent players such as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and defending champion Xander Schauffele are all scheduled to tee it up. The field is further bolstered by the presence of Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Rickie Fowler.

In contrast, the Barbasol Championship features set of circumstances, with tour veterans Kevin Streelman and Lucas Glover among the notable names in the field. Both tournaments have experienced some changes in their respective fields, with a few golfers opting to skip the Scottish Open in favor of the Barbasol Championship due to scheduling and travel considerations. Other players near the top of the odds board this week include Peter Kuest and Akshay Bhatia, both of whom do not yet have a Reignmaker card.

It's clear that the Scottish Open boasts a star-studded field, while the Barbasol Championship showcases a mix of seasoned players and rising talents.

You can explore these golfers' profiles and more on the newly introduced Player Profile page.

Four-Ball: 4 DraftKings Reignmakers PGA TOUR Targets

Sahith Theegala

As we approach the end of the season and the playoff positioning becomes crucial, it becomes vital to focus on golfers who are likely to make the playoffs. Sahith Theegala is one such golfer who is expected to easily secure a spot in the playoffs and is anticipated to play in each of the next three weeks. Furthermore, he is likely to be one of the favorites in the upcoming 3M Open, which typically results in an increase in card prices. Therefore, even if we plan this as a two-week investment, it may be wise to cash in and sell these cards before the 3M Open. Theegala has a great chance to be an outlier in optimal lineups, making him an intriguing choice to add to the portfolio this week

Sungjae Im

We see a similar situation with Sungjae Im this week as he is expected to compete in each of the next three weeks. Although Im may not be in his best form at the moment, historically he has shown the ability to quickly regain his form. Taking advantage of buying low on a golfer who offers high utility over the next month or so has proven to be a successful strategy during this inaugural Reignmaker PGA TOUR season. Therefore, considering Sungjae Im as an additional option could be a wise move.

Taylor Pendtrith

For those that haven’t looked into the Barbasol Championship yet then you probably don’t know that Pendrith is the odds favorite at this point. He’s also played well the few years he’s come to this event and has been playing much better as of late. So match all that up together and he’s almost a must-have in your Barbasol Championship Reignmaker lineups this week.

Austin Smotherman

If first-round leads gave out points for Reignmakers, Smotherman would be among the top point-getters. Sadly that’s not the case but it’s indicative of his form being close to the top. While he hasn’t kept it going for all four days he should find comfort in knowing he’s one of the best players in the field this week. So maybe this is the week he puts four rounds together and earns his first top 10 of the season.

Author Bio

Jason Rouslin

Hailing from the great, but little, state of Rhode Island, Jason decided that year-round golf was too hard to pass up. So, after 29 years of bitter cold, and only being able to play golf 4 months a year (comfortably), upended those roots and moved to the sunshine state, Florida. 5 years later Jason is the proud Dad of two young boys and a black lab Bella. . In his professional time he can be found diving into the DraftKings Reignmaker game, researching PGA Tour stats, and investing, with a heavy focus on equity markets. In his spare time, playing golf is likely on the docket. If not that, then it's likely something to do with Disney, as he enjoys just about everything, from the theme parks to the Marvel movies. Shoot him a message on Twitter @dfsgolfer23, he'd love to chat!

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