Scottish Open Picks, Predictions and Odds (Zalatoris, Morikawa, Hideki Looming)

We're just one week away from The Open Championship and golfers get one more week to fine-tune their games before the final major of the season. A stacked field is set to compete at the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland highlighted by the top names on the PGA Tour.

The BetSided team looks to make it four straight weeks with an outright winner after J.T. Poston came through at the John Deere Classic. We hit Xander Schauffele at the Travelers Championship and Iain MacMillan nailed Matt Fitzpatrick at the U.S Open, so it's been a thrilling, profitable few weeks for those following our golf coverage.

Can we do it again and keep the dollars flowing? Let's first take a look at the odds leaderboard from WynnBET before jumping into some key stats and my favorite picks. It's time to rock an' roll, baby!

Odds to Win the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open

• Jon Rahm: +1200

• Scottie Scheffler: +1200

• Justin Thomas: +1400

• Matt Fitzpatrick: +1800

• Xander Schauffele: +2000

• Patrick Cantlay: +2200

• Will Zalatoris: +2500

• Cameron Smith: +2800

• Collin Morikawa: +2800

• Sam Burns: +2800

How to Handicap the Genesis Scottish Open

The Renaissance Club is a beautiful 7,293-yard par 71, links-style golf course to get the field prepared for The Open next week.

Min Woo Lee won last year's edition of the Scottish Open, and other recent winners include Aaron Rai, Bernd Wiesberger, Brandon Stone, Rafa Cabrera Bello, and Alex Noren.

It's a difficult course that can become harder depending on the weather. Moderate winds are expected, though no rain, so golfers who excel in windy conditions will be at an advantage.

As usual, Strokes Gained: Approach will be critical, as will off-the-tee play and an ability to get birdies. The winning score is typically in the neighborhood of 15-to-20 under par, so being able to take advantage of good opportunities is vital. We've got five Par 3 holes on the course and it's nearly impossible to win unless you score well on those.

Given the potential for wind, accuracy and bogey avoidance is also important, though distance matters with the long nature of the course as well.

Key Stats for the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open

• Strokes Gained: Approach

• Par 3 Performance

• Par 3 Birdie or Better

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee

• Driving Accuracy Percentage

Genesis Scottish Open Picks and Predictions

Will Zalatoris (+2500)

The best iron player on tour this season has finished sixth or better in six of his last eight tournaments. He's become accustomed to heartbreak, but Zalatoris just may be the most consistent golfer on the planet right now.

Willy Z leads the Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach while ranking 7th in Par 3 scoring and 11th in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee.

His putter frequently gets him into trouble, but he can get hot on these slow greens and should give himself as many birdie looks as anyone in the field.

Collin Morikawa (+2800)

Zalatoris has been the best iron player on Tour this season, but I maintain that Morikawa is the best iron player on the planet. A disastrous Round 3 kept him from winning the U.S. Open, but if you're going to hang a +2800 number on my favorite athlete on the planet then I'm jumping all over it.

Morikawa is fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach, 22nd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 24th in Par 3 Birdie or Better percentage. He's got six top-five finishes already this season, while dramatically improving his game around the green and putting.

Another victory is coming soon for the two-time major champion. At +2800, I'm not missing out on these odds at a course where the biggest predictor is Morikawa's biggest strength.

Hideki Matsuyama (+3300)

Another number that's just too big for a player of Hideki's caliber. He finished fourth at the U.S. Open and took T3 at the AT&T Byron Nelson a few weeks before that, so he's in strong form heading to Scotland.

Matsuyama ranks third on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach and 10th in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green. He's also sixth in Greens in Regulation percentage and 13th in Par 3 Scoring Average, so he'll give himself plenty of birdie opportunities throughout the weekend.

I see Hideki as a golfer closer to the +2500 range. Thus, I'm thrilled to back him at +3300 at a course that should fit his game perfectly.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.