Thursday, July 9, 2026
GolfStats Insider Daily Briefing
A links classic in Scotland, a major in France, and an opposite-field opening in Louisville: Thursday is loaded, and the leaderboards are already talking.
Top 3 Stories
1. Scottish Open Round 1: the Open tune-up bites early, and the stars wait their turn
The Genesis Scottish Open opened at The Renaissance Club with a familiar links lesson: get out early and get moving. Bernd Wiesberger set the pace at 6 under through 13 holes, Patrick Cantlay sat quietly at 5 under, and a cluster including Tom Kim and Min Woo Lee reached 4 under before the marquee names had teed off. Rory McIlroy was 1 under through nine, Xander Schauffele and defending champion Chris Gotterup were over par, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood all drew afternoon starts in this final Open Qualifying Series stop before Royal Birkdale. With a breezy forecast (gusts near 19 mph), the morning number looked sturdy. Source: PGA Tour.
2. Amundi Evian Championship: Korda's Grand Slam bid opens into a fast Asian contingent
The LPGA's fifth major began at Evian Resort Golf Club, and the receptive greens produced a quick logjam at the top. Reigning KPMG Women's PGA champion Haeran Ryu picked up where she left off, sharing the early lead at 5 under with a Japanese trio in Mao Saigo, Erika Hara and Akie Iwai, while Ruoning Yin and Jin Hee Im lurked a shot back. Nelly Korda, who can complete the career Grand Slam and lock LPGA Hall of Fame eligibility with an Evian or AIG Women's Open title, opened off that pace in the same group as Ryu, with Round 1 still on the course. Source: LPGA.com; Golf Channel.
3. ISCO Championship: the opposite-field week the stars left behind
With the headliners in Scotland, the PGA Tour's opposite-field ISCO Championship teed off at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville (par 70, $4 million purse). Max Homa is the clear headliner, fresh off a runner-up finish at last week's John Deere Classic, while recent amateur-turned-pro Jackson Koivun is the betting favorite at +1500 in just his second professional start. The 144-man field blends PGA Tour regulars with 50 DP World Tour members and a two-year exemption waiting for the winner. Source: Yahoo Sports; PGA Tour.
Player Movement & Status
- Jordan Spieth commits to the 3M Open (July 20-26, TPC Twin Cities) for the first time in his career, joining Scottie Scheffler and Hideki Matsuyama in the Minnesota field. Source: WCCO / Audacy.
- Keith Mitchell is out of the Scottish Open and instead committed to the 3M Open, opting for a stateside two-week block over the Renaissance links trip. Source: WCCO / Audacy.
- Brooks Koepka withdrew from the Scottish Open with the grip and nerve issue that has nagged him since the Canadian Open; Max McGreevy filled the spot. Worth tracking one week out from the Open. Source: Yahoo Sports.
This Week's Tournament Read
Genesis Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland. A firm coastal links and the marquee Rolex Series co-sanctioned stop, doubling as the last Open Qualifying Series event before Royal Birkdale. Thursday sits dry and warm (high near 71°F) but breezy, with base winds of 10-15 mph and gusts to roughly 19 mph, so the tee-time draw is the biggest variable before the weekend even starts. Source: BetMGM; PGA Tour.
Trending up:
- Bernd Wiesberger: early Round 1 leader at 6 under, a links-hardened veteran comfortable flighting it in wind.
- Patrick Cantlay: quietly 5 under early, the kind of control ball-striking that travels to links.
- Min Woo Lee: 4 under out of the gate, taking on lines that others are respecting.
Trending down:
- Xander Schauffele: over par early, still hunting the form that has him top-six on the outright board.
- Chris Gotterup: the defending champion opened over par, a slow start to his title defense.
Golf Betting Odds, Tournament Watch
Genesis Scottish Open, Round 1 underway. Outright "to win" favorites, top 10 by shortest price:
- Scottie Scheffler: +550
- Rory McIlroy: +850
- Jon Rahm: +1400
- Matt Fitzpatrick: +1600
- Tommy Fleetwood: +1750
- Xander Schauffele: +1800
- Ludvig Aberg: +1900
- Chris Gotterup: +2200
- Wyndham Clark: +2500
- Tyrrell Hatton: +2900
Movement: Scheffler sits +550, a touch longer than the early-week chalk as the market spread toward McIlroy (+850) and Rahm (+1400). No dramatic swings with Round 1 already on the course.
Odds via VegasInsider (current as of July 9, 2026; prices vary by book).
These odds are a snapshot and will differ from the price you actually get at bet placement.
Live Tournament Pulse
Scotland: Wiesberger and Cantlay stole the morning at the Renaissance while the top of the outright board waited on afternoon tee times, McIlroy grinding to 1 under and Schauffele and Gotterup slipping over par. The number to chase looked catchable, but only if the wind stays polite for the late wave. Source: PGA Tour.
France: Ryu carried her KPMG-winning form straight into Evian, joining a Japanese wave (Saigo, Hara, Iwai) at the top on receptive greens, while Korda opened a step behind in her Grand Slam bid. Early birdies were plentiful, a signal the winning number here will be low. Source: LPGA.com.
Under the Radar
Evian's Japanese wave is a matchup signal, not a coincidence. Three of the four early co-leaders (Mao Saigo, Erika Hara and Akie Iwai) are Japanese, a cohort that historically thrives on Evian's soft, wedge-friendly setup where precise distance control beats raw length. In nationality and head-to-head matchup markets, that is an edge worth pressing before the board fully catches up, and it keeps Haeran Ryu live as a repeat-major threat. Source: LPGA.com.
The Scottish Open draw is today's live-betting map. The morning wave posted the day's low numbers before any real wind built, so with Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood all out in the afternoon, watch the live wind readings after their starts. If gusts climb, the value flips to first-round-leader and top-finish tickets on this morning's early scorers holding serve. Source: BetMGM.
Two leaderboards, two continents, and a full day of golf still to come, so settle in and let this Thursday show you something good.
GolfStats Insider Daily Briefing | GolfStats.com
