RECOMMENDED BETS
2pts e.w. Padraig Harrington at 16/1 (Paddy Power 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6).
1pt e.w. Ernie Els at 28/1 (Paddy Power 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6).
1pt e.w. Mark Foster at 80/1 (Bodog 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6).
1pt e.w. Chris Wood at 90/1 (bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6).
The consensus view that last year's switch from Loch Lomond to Castle Stuart for the Scottish Open was a positive one ahead of the Open Championship.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not smile on the event with torrential rain causing Saturday's action to be washed out and the event being reduced to 54 holes.
The weather this summer has hardly been much better up and down Britain but fingers crossed we don't have a repeat of such extreme conditions as the field fine tune their game ahead of the big one at Lytham in a week's time.
Having played the Irish Open at Royal Portrush a fortnight ago as well, this has been a golden period for players to get used to links-style golf and Padraig Harrington could find himself back in the winner's circle at 16/1.
Ahead of victories at the 2007 and 2008 Open Championships, Harrington snubbed the parkland Loch Lomond course in favour of the Irish PGA Championship but always vowed to play in Scotland if the venue was changed.
He said: "If you move it to a links golf course, I'll be there. They have done that, and I couldn't see myself not playing in the Scottish Open now because it's on a links.
"It's ideal. Having a competitive tournament the week before shows up in the little nuances in your game that need to be tightened up. Having it on a links golf course gives you ideal practice."
Not that Harrington is just using this week as a warm-up and believes he is on the brink of turning a run of good finishes at the US Open, Travelers Championship and the Irish Open into a victory.
He added: "A win would be very important for me . . . (and) I believe it is coming. It doesn't have to happen (in Scotland) or the week after. I believe it's coming. I'm in good shape."
Harrington has spent a couple of years dissecting his game and at times looked to have got in a real knot in terms of the technical aspects of the game. However, the work he has done with coach Pete Cowan and psychologist Dave Alred finally seems to be paying off.
He appears to have a much clearer idea of what is happening once again with his swing and can commence a full return to the top table with a big display here.
We shall go a bit old school as well with our second selection and take Ernie Els to add to his two Scottish Open titles.
The Big Easy has been on a little break since the US Open with a busy stretch coming up on his schedule and he reported this week on his website that he is raring to go as he returns to competitive action.
Els' form these days is a bit of a curate's egg with events where he looks a shadow of the glory days but also times where he produces golf that would certainly make him a major contender once more.
He was right in the mix last month at the Olympic Club until the closing stages and despite the disappointment of not being able to put the pressure on when it mattered, he will surely reflect on plenty of positives from the week over the longer term.
Castle Stuart did not really play like a real links test 12 months ago after all the rain but Els was impressed with the course and played "pretty well" in his words to break 70 in all three rounds.
Els simply loves golf in Scotland and being a bit of a horses-for-courses player these days, he is well worth an interest at 28/1.
Two English players complete the staking plan with Mark Foster and Chris Wood the pick of those among the bigger prices.
Foster is seemingly on my radar more often than not and continues to knock on the door so makes some appeal at current odds of 80/1.
If he can carry over his form against a quality field in Ireland a couple of weeks ago he is bang in the mix here while he also has the added incentive with a place at the Open Championship up for grabs for the highest finisher not yet exempt.
I have a feeling as well he could take some inspiration from Marcel Siem's heroics in France as the German ended a lengthy winless spell, showing that persistence does eventually have a pay-off.
Wood missed out on a place at the Open when he fell short at the 36-hole final qualifying so also requires a big week if he is going to be on the starting line at Lytham.
He had a mini-crisis in Ireland when he lost three balls on three holes on the way to missing the cut - he played the other 33 in five under par so paid the maximum penalty for those lapses.
Things were not much better in France with another weekend off but the willowy Bristolian has proven form on a links layout with two top-fives to date in the Open Championship.
The work he has been doing on some swing changes is starting to have an effect and a quick look back to his second in Sicily earlier in the campaign reiterated how good his game can be by the sea.
It would be a big blow if Wood missed the Open again having sprung to prominence in the event so now seems the ideal time for him to step up and make an impact at 90/1.
