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- The Tee Sheet - Issue #8
July 9, 2025
Welcome to the eighth edition of The Tee Sheet - your Wednesday read on what matters in the world of golf right now.
From cornfields to coastlines - we’re moving fast. Brian Campbell just won the John Deere Classic in a playoff. Across the pond, the Genesis Scottish Open is teeing up with one of the best fields of the year. Firm turf, big names, and a final Open tune-up? Inject it.
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Let’s dive in!
Official World Golf Ranking Tracker & Movers
Big Movers Up: Daniel Brown moves up 66 spots after winning the BMW International Open and Brian Campbell rises 60 spots to World No. 55 after winning the John Deere Classic
Note: Rising / Falling includes biggest movers in the OWGR Top 150
FedEx Cup Points Tracker
PGA Tour Money List Tracker
Tourney Recap
2025 John Deere Classic Recap:
Brian Campbell’s Playoff Victory
TPC Deere Run might be known for its low scores and soft greens, but don’t let the fireworks fool you - this year’s John Deere delivered some tension and a splash of chaos before crowning a champ.
The 32-year-old Brian Campbell, former Illinois standout and winner of the Mexico Open back in February, outlasted Emiliano Grillo in a playoff to secure his second win of the season. Not long ago, Campbell was grinding it out on the fringes. Now? Two wins in one season with some momentum.
He didn’t necessarily cruise, either. After three-straight birdies on the back nine on Sunday, Campbell looked ready to run away with it. But golf doesn’t care about your momentum. He doubled the par-four 15th and cracked the door - Grillo stepped through, briefly, and brought the contest to a playoff. Campbell cleaned up in the first extra hole and won it with a par, both players finishing the tournament at 18-under.
Campbell, the local product, then got to lift the trophy not far from where he played college golf in Champaign, Illinois.
Coming up next? the Genesis Scottish Open, with firmer fairways, stronger winds, and the Euros ready to make noise. But for now, the cornfields of Silvis Illinois belong to Campbell.
🧃 Campbell’s Juice
If Campbell’s name isn’t familiar, here’s a quick refresh:
He turned pro out of Illinois in 2015 with pedigree (two-time All-American), lost his Tour card, found his game again on the Korn Ferry Tour, and started 2025 with a surprise win in Mexico
Now he’s got two wins on the season - and he’s locked up his spot in next year’s Masters
Outside of the victories, Campbell hasn’t been very close in other tourneys this season - his next best finish is a T32…
📈 The Field & Fallout
Emiliano Grillo looked dialed most of the day, but blinked at the worst time
Max Homa (T5) made a charge, but his Sunday 69 (with three bogeys) wasn’t enough to get it done. That’s now eight top-10s for Homa since his last win (January 2023). He called the loss “painful” in a post-round message as his drought is likely starting to feel heavier by the week
Aldrich Potgieter, fresh off his Rocket Classic breakout last week, withdrew after a Saturday 76 citing “undisclosed reasons.” Somebody may have wanted to get to Scotland early…
The cut line was 5-under. If you didn’t come out firing, you were going home early. TPC Deere Run remains one of the Tour’s most birdie-friendly tracks, and players needed four strong rounds to stay in it
Some notable missed cuts this week included Ben Griffin, Sungjae Im, and Jason Day
John Deere Classic Quick Stats:
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green Leaders
Rico Hoey (+3.38) ; T11
Si Woo Kim (+3.33) ; T11
Doug Ghim (+2.58) ; T31
Strokes Gained: Putting Leaders
Nick Dunlap (+2.70) ; T11
Jackson Koivun (+2.47) ; T11
Garrick Higgo (+2.24) ; T27
Only includes players who made the cut
Tourney Preview
2025 Genesis Scottish Open Preview:
Links, Legends, & Last-Minute Open Dreams
The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland is set to host the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open this weekend - bringing a $9M purse and a stellar field including eight of the world’s top ten players. This co-sanctioned PGA Tour and DP World Tour event serves as a critical tune-up before The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in just two weeks.
This week’s tournament is a favorite of ours - for good reason.
🧨 The Field: A Major Vibe Without the Major Label
If you're looking for a preview of the upcoming Open Championship, just look at the tee sheet in North Berwick. The 2025 Genesis Scottish Open field is loaded - co-sanctioned by the PGA and DP World Tour and fully treated as a major-adjacent warm-up. This year, eight of the top 10 players in the world are in the field, and nearly every guy who matters is boarding the show.
Scottie Scheffler headlines - no surprise there. The World No. 1 is coming off another dominant stretch and has been Top 10 in basically everything that breathes since February. The Scottish Open is one of the few global titles he hasn’t grabbed yet, and links golf is the one puzzle he’s still solving. The flat stick’s been holding up - if the wind doesn’t throw him off rhythm, he’s the favorite.
Rory McIlroy returns as well - he’s got one eye on The Open in Portrush next week (home soil, no pressure…), but he’s won on this coast before and loves getting in reps on firm turf. His track record at Renaissance has been solid - he won here in 2023 and has plenty of low rounds.
Then there’s the next layer:
Xander Schauffele - winner here in 2022, could be trending again
Robert MacIntyre - defending champ, hometown hero, Scottish blood in his spikes
Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, JJ Spaun, Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood… this is a tournament to get excited about
One late headline: Jordan Spieth is out, still nursing his injury from the Travelers.
Bottom line: this field is deep. It’s a global leaderboard waiting to happen, and the weather is bound to throw wrenches. This is one to watch.
🕰️ A Quick History of the Genesis Scottish Open: Rain, Wind, and Reputation Rehab
The Scottish Open’s history is a bit like its weather forecast - unpredictable, sometimes overlooked, and lately, kinda legendary.
Founded in 1972, the Scottish Open has bounced around venues and reputations over the decades. It spent time at Gleneagles, Loch Lomond, and Castle Stuart before finally settling into the Renaissance Club in 2019. Early on, the tournament didn’t quite have the prestige of a true Open warm-up, but now it’s produced some all-time moments for fans:
Robert MacIntyre’s emotional win in 2024, where he outdueled the competition in front of home fans with his dad on the bag
Rory’s 2023 win where he clutched back to back birdies down the stretch
Xander’s 2022 win in sideways wind, proving he could hang on
Min Woo Lee’s playoff win in 2021, still one of the smoothest ball-striking weeks in recent memory
What sets it apart is the identity. It’s not a cookie-cutter PGA Tour stop with rough-and-bunker templates. It’s coastal golf - firm fairways, gusty bounce, creative shot shapes. One day it’s 63s and eagle putts; the next it’s holding on for par with 5-irons from 160. The Scottish Open forces players to adapt, not just execute.
And that’s why it matters. It’s not a major. But it feels close.
Scottish Open Quick Stats:
Course: The Renaissance Club
Par: 70
Distance: 7,282 yards
Purse: $9,000,000
Recent Champs: Robert MacIntyre (2024), Rory McIlroy (2023), Xander Schauffele (2022), Min Woo Lee (2021)
Picks & Players to Watch
Top 20: Tommy Fleetwood (-105), Matt Fitzpatrick (+160)
Top 40: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+100), Jordan Smith (+120)
Disclaimer: The picks and predictions in The Tee Sheet are for informational and entertainment purposes only.
Ryder Cup Rankings Tracker
Team USA:
No major movements this week given the light field in the John Deere
Team Europe:
The Weekly Rundown
Stories to Know This Week
🎙️Keegan’s Ryder Cup Reality Check + Woodland Joins as VC
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley made small waves this week with an honest admission: he’s “never spoken to” several players who are likely to make the 2025 team. “I found that extraordinary,” he said - and so did everyone else
Chemistry was in question after the Rome showing - Keegan’s trying to fix that fast. This captaincy is being treated as one of the more delicate U.S. rebuilds in recent years
Bradley has brought on Gary Woodland as the fifth and final vice captain, joining Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, and Brandt Snedeker
🕊️ Ed Fiori, Four-Time PGA Tour Winner and Tiger's First Foil, Passes at 71
Ed Fiori, four-time PGA Tour winner best known for halting Tiger Woods’ first pro win bid at the ‘96 Quad City Classic, passed away this week at age 72
Fiori’s win over Tiger was the stuff of lore - a 43-year-old holding off the most hyped debut in golf history
He retired from full-time play in the late 2000s but stayed involved in the game and was beloved by peers for his unassuming style
Author’s Note
That’s it for this week - the Scottish Open sets the table. Next week? It’s Portrush. The Open. The last major of the year. You’ll want to be locked in.
I’ll be breaking it all down in next Wednesday’s issue - expect a recap of the Scottish and a full preview with who’s trending for Claret Jug contention.
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