This week, the Renaissance Club will play host to six of the world’s top ten and 14 of the leading 20 players on the planet before they head to Royal Birkdale for next week’s Open Championship.
The links-style layout will provide excellent preparation for the trip south, and Rahm is a man comfortable on links, having won the island of Ireland’s national open at both Portstewart and Lahinch.
Scotland’s national open is not only part of the Rolex Series but also co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR, so while it may not form one of the men’s game’s big four, Rahm believes it is as close as you can get.
“I think it’s a great test for next week,” said Jon Rahm, who shares the record for most Rolex Series wins with five. “You’re not only playing the type of golf you need to be playing, but you’re also playing a world-class field.
“As far as strength of field goes, it does feel like you have two Majors in a row without being a Major, it’s that good. It speaks to how good this event is for all these players to come in here.”
Rahm has played this event at Renaissance twice before, finishing seventh on his debut in 2021 and tying for 55th the following season.
This week, the course will reroute: the previous tenth to 16th will become the first to seventh, and the previous first to seventh will become the tenth to 16th, with the eighth, ninth, 17th, and 18th keeping their previous positions on the card.
That means the closing stretch will now include a driveable par four at the 14th and a stadium hole par three at the next, with the last consistently being the most difficult hole on the course.
“It’s quite a thrilling finish,” said Jon Rahm. “Obviously, you don’t have the par five on 16 that gave quite a bit away, but with the right wind, you have a possible reachable par four, a very tricky short par three, a long par four, and then 17 and 18.
“I still think it gives it a good variety and a very exciting finish. I think it could be a really good change.”
If Rahm were to lift the trophy this week, he would add a fourth national open to his collection, having won his home open on three occasions, the Irish Open twice, and also the U.S. Open for his maiden Major in 2021.
A student of the game, Jon Rahm has long been aware of the footsteps in which he follows, not just in the Spanish and European game but across the globe, and he would love to add another of the sport’s most storied titles to his CV.
“A victory on Scottish soil would be fantastic,” he said. “As a European, understanding where it came from, and links golf, a list of great champions in the Scottish Open, it would be something that would be really, really exciting.
“It’s just the history of (national opens) that makes them so special. No secret why the Spanish Open is special to me.
“When I was able to win the Irish Open, and I lifted the trophy for the first time, I started seeing the names, and it’s filled with all the legends of European golf. It’s something special to be regarded, hopefully, as one of them. Not many people say that, and I hope I can get to that point.
“Like the Irish Open, the French Open, the German Open, the Spanish Open, the Scottish Open, all of them have pretty much the same list of champions and probably many more opens that I’m missing.
“I think it’s what connects us to the past. Some of these tournaments have been going on for such a long time and I know the French Open at one point was the longest-running event in the amount of editions, I can’t even think of how many. It’s what makes them special, the connection of the past to the present.”
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