Golf Glance: Rory McIlroy defends in Scotland; LPGA, Champions move to major hunt

Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from every major North American golf tour.

PGA TOUR

Last tournament: John Deere Classic (Davis Thompson)

THIS WEEK: Genesis Scottish Open, North Berwick, Scotland, July 11-14

Course: Renaissance Club (Par 70, 7,237 Yards)

Purse: $9M (Wins: $1.62M)

Defending champion: Rory McIlroy

FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 10:30-11 (Golf Channel – world feed), 11 am-2 pm (GC); Saturday-Sunday: 10 am-12 pm (GC), 12-3 pm (CBS)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 2 am-2 pm ET; Saturday-Sunday, 4:15 am-3 pm

X: @ScottishOpen

NOTES: The PGA Tour has sanctioned the event for three consecutive years, with the field consisting of 75 tour players along with the same number of DP World Tour players. … This is the final event of The Open Qualifying Series, with three spots available in next week’s field at Royal Troon. The top three players who make the cut and are not exempt will earn a spot in The Open. … McIlroy defended his title as he won his first title since losing the back nine of the US Open to finish second. No one successfully defended at the Scottish Open. … Thirty-five players competed in the John Deere Classic last week. … Cole Rueck will make his PGA Tour debut after completing his sophomore year at Boise State. He earned a sponsorship exemption by winning the Genesis Collegiate Showcase at The Riviera Country Club in February. … Thompson shot a tournament-record 28-under par 256 at TPC Deere Run to earn first place at the Scottish Open. He has three top-10 finishes in a row.

BEST BEST: Rory McIlroy (+800 on DraftKings) hasn’t played since the US Open, but has won among three top-5s while posting top-15 finishes in five consecutive starts. … Xander Schauffele (+900) won the Scottish Open two years ago, his last tournament victory to claim this year’s PGA Championship. His 11 top-10 finishes on tour this year are five more than any other player in the field. … Ludvig Aberg (+1600). … Collin Morikawa (+1600). … Tommy Fleetwood (+2000) and Tom Kim (+2500) are the only players to post top-10 finishes in the event each of the past two years. … Viktor Hovland (+2200). … Robert MacIntyre (+4000) finished second last year and the Scots native won his first PGA Tour event at last month’s RBC Canadian Open.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: ISCO Championship, Nicholasville, Ky., July 11-14

Course: Champions at Keene Trace Golf Club (Par 72, 7,328 Yards)

Purse: $4M (Winner: $720,000)

Defending champion: Vincent Norrman

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 4:30-7:30pm (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 4-7 pm (GC)

X: @ISCOChamp

NOTES: Florida State junior Luke Clanton in the field after becoming the first amateur on record since 1958 to post consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. He is also the +900 pre-tournament favorite at DraftKings ahead of Michael Thorbjornsen at +1400. … The field of 150 players includes 50 players from the DP World Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance between tours. The winner will receive a PGA Tour exemption through 2026 for current tour members and through 2025 for non-tour members, along with a DP World Tour exemption through 2026. … The field also includes 42 players who have previously won on the PGA Tour . … Sponsor Exemption Neal Shipley is a low amateur at this year’s US Masters and Open.

Next tournament: Open Championship, Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland, July 18-21

LPGA Tour

LAST TOURNAMENT: Dow Championship (Atthaya Thitikul, Ruoning Yin)

THIS WEEK: Evian Championships, Evian-les-Bains, France, July 11-14

Course: Evian Resort Golf Club, Champions Course (Par 71, 6,693 yards)

Purse: $8M (Winners: $1.2)

Defending champion: Celine Boutier

The race to lead the CME Globe: Nelly Korda

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 6-10:30 pm ET (Golf Channel / Peacock), 10:30 am-12 pm (Peacock); Saturday-Sunday, 4-10 am (GC/Peacock)

X: @EvianChamp

Note: This is the 11th edition of the event since it was elevated to a major in 2013 and the fourth of five majors this year. … The 132-player field will cut to the top 65 and tie after 36 holes. … Korda returns after missing her title defense on the Women’s European Tour last week at the Centurion Club due to a dog bite. Korda has won six of his eight starts this season, but has now missed three straight cuts for the first time in his career. … Boutier cruised to a six-shot victory over Brooke Henderson last year to become the first Frenchwoman to win Evian. … The Champions Course opened in 1904 along with the Royal Hotel. Originally a nine-hole course, it was redesigned in the late 1980s. … Forty-one players in the field this week will compete in next month’s Paris Olympics.

Next tournament: Dana Open, Sylvania, Ohio, July 18-21

PGA Tour Champion

Last Tournament: 44th US Senior Open Championship (Richard Bland)

THIS WEEK: Kaulig Companies Championship, Akron, Ohio, 11-14. July

Course: Firestone Country Club (Par 70, 7,248 yards)

Purse: $3.5M (Winner: $525,000)

Defending champion: Steve Stricker

Charles Schwab Cup Leader: Stephen Ames

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-4:30 ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12-4 pm (GC)

X: @KauligChamp

NOTES: This is four of the five majors on the Champions tour this season. … The 78-player field includes Stricker along with Wisconsin native Jerry Kelly. Both are seeking to become only the second player to win the event three times. … The field also includes five members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Vijah Singh Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Next tournament: Senior Open Championship, Carnoustie, Scotland, July 25-28

LIV Golf League

LAST TOURNAMENT: Nashville (Individual: Tyrrell Hatton; Team: Legion XIII)

THIS WEEK: Andalusia, Spain, July 12-14

Course: Real Club Valderrama (Par 71, 7,010 Yards)

Purse: $20M Individual, $5M Team (Winner: $4M Individual, $3M Team)

Defending champions: Talor Gooch (Individual), Torque GC (Team)

Leaders 2024: Player, Joaquin Niemann; Team, Crusher GC

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Friday, 7:15 a.m. ET (CW App, LIV Golf Plus); Saturday, 07:15 (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus); Sunday, 07:05 (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus)

X: @livgolf_league

NOTE: This is the 10. 14 event on the 2024 schedule, which will be followed by the team championship in Dallas September 20-22. … A field of 54 players will compete in the three-day event with a shotgun start. There are 12 teams of four players and two independent wild card players. … Hatton is coming off his first LIV Golf individual title in Nashville. His Legion XIII team will make its debut in Andalusia captained by Spanish star Jon Rahm. … Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia was born in Borriol, Castellon, and is an honorary member of Valderrama, which is said to be his favorite golf course in the world. … Sixteen players in the field are scheduled to play in next week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Next tournament: LIV Golf UK, England, July 26-28

–Field Level Media