All you need to know about 2025 Scottish Open

2025 Scottish Open

Venue: Renaissance Club, East Lothian Dates: 10-13 July

Coverage: Follow live text coverage of all four rounds on the BBC Sport website and app; watch Saturday and Sunday highlights on BBC iPlayer at 21:00 BST

The guttural roar that marked Bob MacIntyre's emotional Scottish Open win 12 months ago has just about dissipated – so who will be the big noise this time?

Home hero MacIntyre returns to the Renaissance Club to defend the cherished title – "the one I wanted" – after delivering a brilliant finish to edge out Adam Scott by a shot and become the tournament's first Scottish winner in 25 years.

MacIntyre will never tire of watching his winning 22ft birdie putt "over and over again" and is adamant last year's triumph hasn't diluted his determination to lift the trophy again.

"Again, I'm coming here to win the Scottish Open," says the 28-year-old on the eve of the 2025 edition. "It's the biggest golf tournament outside of the major championships for me.

"I want to keep this trophy every year until I stop playing. I hope if I don't win it, a Scottish player wins it. It's just a special, special golf tournament with an unbelievable field."

The Oban left-hander has some serious form on this East Lothian layout – he was pipped to glory by Rory McIlroy's birdie-birdie finale in 2023 – and is buoyed by his best major performance, a runners-up spot at last month's US Open.

Not that he'll have it all his own way…

Who is playing?

You'd be hard pressed to find a better field outside a major.

And how about Scottie Scheffler, MacIntyre and Adam Scott for a superstar grouping for the first two rounds? Expect huge crowds to follow this trio.

World number one Scheffler heads a cast list packed with superstar talent and featuring eight of the top 10 in the rankings.

Chief among them is McIlroy, three months on from memorably completing the career Grand Slam with a dramatic Masters triumph.

The Northern Irishman tees it up alongside fellow former winner and current Open champion Xander Schauffele, plus Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland on Thursday and Friday.

New US Open champion JJ Spaun will bid to improve on his only previous Scottish Open appearance – finishing six over in 2022 – while England's Tommy Fleetwood was runner-up here in 2020 and has a happy knack of contending for the title.

Can Fleetwood banish the heartbreak of his recent Travelers Championship near miss as he pursues a first PGA Tour title?

And as the race for Ryder Cup qualification ticks towards next month's deadline, captain Luke Donald will balance playing duties in East Lothian with keeping a keen eye on European hopefuls.

Why is Scottish Open a big deal?

Prestige, prize fund and links practice are all key factors.

Now in its fourth year as a PGA Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event, the Scottish Open doesn't lack financial heft, boasting a total purse of of $9m (£6.6m) – around $1.5m (£1.1m) of which goes to the winner.

Its pulling power is further enhanced by its slot in the calendar the week before The Open, which this year takes place at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Players converge on the Scottish Open for vital links preparation and it paid off handsomely last year for Schauffele, who followed his tied 15th-place finish by lifting the Claret Jug seven days later at Royal Troon.

Little wonder that the Scottish Open has "become a staple" in the 31-year-old American's schedule.

"I wish I could have come over here and played earlier in the year to be honest, just from a mental standpoint," Schauffele says.

"Something about playing over here relaxes me a little bit. Something about being here, you start taking your hands off the wheel - and that's how I played my best."

What about the course & weather?

The par-70 Renaissance Club, opened in 2007, has staged the Scottish Open for the past six years.

The course record is 61 and was equalled last year by Richard Mansell in the final round, helping the Englishman bag a spot in The Open.

Austria's Bernd Wiesberger clearly likes this track - he shares the 18-hole milestone (with Mansell and Byeong Hun An) and the 72-hole record of 262 (with reigning champ MacIntyre).

Links golf always provides a fascinating test and the world's best could be confronted by baked fairways this week as the notoriously erratic Scottish summer delivers a welcome sunny spell.

Temperatures of around 22C are forecast, with the breeze ranging from gentle to moderate.

Anything else?

This is the final event of The Open qualifying series, meaning three places at Royal Portrush are up for grabs for those not already exempt.

Among the hopefuls is one of the six-strong Scottish contingent, Connor Syme, fresh from his first DP World Tour title, a "monkey-off-the-back" achievement.

Syme made his Open debut at Royal Portrush in 2019 and craves a return after missing out on Royal Troon by one shot last year.

"It would be awesome to go back," says the Scot. "This is obviously such a massive tournament and that's the dangling carrot too.

"Hopefully I can play well enough to tick off a lot of things."