2026 Genesis Scottish Open: Top DraftKings Showdown Plays & Live Bets Ahead of Round 2
The 2026 Genesis Scottish Open is officially underway, with the Renaissance Club proving to still be a moderate test for the game’s best in relatively calm conditions. An eclecltic group of five players lead the way at 5-under-par through the opening round: Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Tom Kim, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Bernd Wiesberger.
Scottie Scheffler remains in the hunt, just three strokes off the lead at T27 on the leaderboard. He and McIlroy are still the odds-on favorites to win this event, just as it began pre-tournament.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 2 gets underway on Friday. Conditions were largely calm on Thursday, but there will be a slight uptick in wind on Friday. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 2 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the 2026 Genesis Scottish Open DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
Round 2 Genesis Scottish Open Showdown Pillar Plays
No two years seem to be the same at the Genesis Scottish Open, as the Renaissance Club’s setting right on the coastline of Edinburgh, Scotland makes this one of the most weather-impacted tournaments on the PGA Tour. When the weather is calm, this is a very gettable golf course where pure bombers have found an edge taking aggressive lines to carry select fairway bunkers. When the wind is blowing, however, it is a venue that demands touch and creativity around the greens to avoid bogeys. Mother Nature seems to be offering up the former this week, which means in-form bombers like Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee, Kurt Kitayama, Brooks Koepka, and Michael Thorbjornsen each stand a great chance to uphold their place inside the top-10 for the rest of this week.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 2 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Rory McIlroy ($12,000)
There were enough valid reasons to feel skeptical about Rory McIlroy’s odds coming into this week as the second favorite behind Scottie Scheffler. Last we saw him, three weeks ago, he was a complete non-factor at Shinnecock Hills, finishing T32. Since then, he’s taken some time away from golf to relax and be around family. If there was going to be any rust at all for McIlroy, it would have been evident in the first round, and after a Thursday round of 65, we can now confidently say there is no rust to be concerned about for the World No. 2.
McIlroy has the best course history of any player in this field at the Genesis Scottish Open, finishing 1st, T4, and T2 over his last three starts since becoming a co-sanctioned PGA Tour event. These are friendly confines for Rory as well, for as much as he’s been jeered by stateside crowds, it is nothing but adulation for McIlroy from the Scottish patrons. As anticipated, Rory’s elite driving distance has served him well once again, as he ranks 2nd in SG: OTT and 5th in SG: T2G, despite not getting much going with his irons. If his approach play flips, Rory will be a tough man for this field to catch the rest of the way.
Tom Kim ($7,800)
It has been more of the same from Tom Kim after round 1 at the Genesis Scottish Open. He has proven to be a force of consistency at this event with top-20 finishes in each of his first four appearances. He has also been a ball-striking force leading into this week, ranking top-5 in both Driving Accuracy and SG: Approach over his last 36 rounds. After the first round, Kim holds a share of the lead at 5-under-par, ranks 1st in SG: T2G, and top-5 in both SG: APP and Driving Accuracy.
Why should we expect anything to change in the rounds ahead from a player who has demonstrated this much consistency for so long? The Renaissance Club caters best to the longest players in the field, but that has never stopped Kim from finding success before, and it isn’t slowing him down now. The putter continues to be an issue for him, but it is also the easiest club in the bag to flip on a day’s notice.
Bernd Wiesberger ($6,700)
Wiesberger may not be a household name for the typical PGA Tour fan, but his round 1 success should hardly be a shock to those who follow international golf on the DP World Tour. Wiesberger is an excellent player, making the European Ryder Cup team in 2021 and holding nine career DP World Tour victories. One of those victories came right here at the Renaissance Club in 2019, proving he has what it takes to navigate this course.
Wiersberger has rebounded nicely from a quiet 2025 season, winning the Volvo China Open in April, and following that up with six top-20 finishes over his last eight starts on the DP World Tour. That includes a 3rd place finish at last week’s BMW International Open. Wiesberger is T1 at 5-under-par after his opening round, in which he ranked top-15 in both SG: APP and SG: P. If the putter stays hot, he’s shown he has the game and the experience to hang around the top of the leaderboard at this event.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 2
Round 2 3 Ball Matchup: Michael Brennan over Chris Kirk and Adrian Otaegui
Best Available odds: +104
When the winds are down at the Renaissance Club, there is a distinct advantage to be had for pure bombers who can overpower this course and capitalize on ample wedges into these oversized greens. That was an effective game plan for Brennan in round 1, as he ranked 3rd in Driving Distance and 8th in SG: T2G. That is an advantage he’ll continue to hold over the other two players in this 3 ball matchup, as Kirk (80th) and Otaegui (156th) are well behind in Driving Distance.
Brennan (-3, T13) has played the best golf thus far, with Kirk (E, T72) and Otaegui (+6, 155th) lagging far behind. Considering the strong course fit and his superior form leading in, this is a matchup I expect to see Brennan win once again on Friday.
Leader After Round 2: Scottie Scheffler
Best Available odds: +2700
For my outright bets’ sake, I do not want this to happen. But something seems off to me with these odds. I understand Scheffler will need to leapfrog past 26 other players in one round to achieve this, but he is only three strokes off the lead. Current outright odds have Scheffler at +740 to win this event, second only to Rory McIlroy.
Clearly, there is an expectation that Scheffler will continue to rise up the leaderboard as the week goes on, and I don’t think a Friday 64 is outside the range of outcomes for the World No. 1. It may be asking to much to expect Scottie to be the standalone leader after 2 rounds, but I don’t think it’s farfetched to think he can hold a share after round 2.
Best of luck with your Genesis Scottish Open DFS lineups and bets!
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