Some of the game’s biggest names and best players have been banned from playing the Genesis Scottish Open next week at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian, Scotland, among them Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed.
The Scottish Open field is still loaded.
In fact, it’s one of the strongest non-major fields in years.
With the tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, players who bolted for LIV Golf, the rival league funded by Saudi Arabia, were suspended indefinitely, barred from the tournament and/or fined for violating tour policies.
But the tournament – coming the week ahead of the 150th playing of the Open Championship occurring on the Old Course in St. Andrews – has lured 14 of the top 15 players in the world and all four reigning major champions. The lone exception among the top 15? Recent RBC Canadian Open winner, world No. 3 and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.
World No. 1 and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who has won four times this year, is one of the headliners. As are reigning PGA Championship winner and No. 5 Justin Thomas, reigning U.S. Open champion and No. 10 Matt Fitzpatrick, and reigning Open Championship winner and No. 4 Collin Morikawa.
Other top 15 players in the star-studded field include No. 2 and 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm; Players champion and No. 6 Cameron Smith; reigning FedEx Cup champion and No. 7 Patrick Cantlay; No. 8 Viktor Hovland; No. 9 Sam Burns; recent Travelers Championship winner and No. 11 Xander Schauffele; No. 12 and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth; No. 13 Will Zalatoris, who has finished runner-up in the past two majors; 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama; and Billy Horschel.
Other top players including Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa, Sungjae Im, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler are in the field.
