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The PGA Tour moves to Europe at a time in the season where many players need to do the same: make a move. In a blink of an eye, the final major championship of the season is on the horizon with the 2025 Scottish Open serving as the first of a two-act play with next week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush representing players' final chances to claim one of the four biggest trophies in the game this year.

An opportunity to be named Champion Golfer of the Year and raise the Claret Jug is the largest prize at stake, but make no mistake, there are other rewards for those who can find some form these next two weeks. The FedEx Cup Playoffs are looming, and captains for both sides of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black still have decisions to make regarding the composition of their squads.

These eight rounds may get lost in the shuffle when looking at the season as a whole, but they could serve as a catalyst for a defining summer stretch. There's certainly plenty of notable names who could utilize the gathering of such momentum. There's past major champions, veterans in need of a spark, stars of the past and present who are all hoping to rekindle their once fleeting form.

Let's take a look at five players who may benefit most if they are able to successfully transverse Scotland and Northern Ireland while winding up atop leaderboards over the next two weeks.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

1
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Xander Schauffele
It's difficult to watch lost seasons from top-end players, but Schauffele is staring down the barrel of exactly that if he doesn't figure something out soon. After putting together an all-time major championship season in 2024 - two wins and two other top-10 finishes -- the world No. 3 has yet to strike a meaningful weekend shot in 2025. The rib injury at the onset of the year was a temporary excuse, but that can no longer be used to justify his level of play. He has just one top-10 finish (Masters) and would not be in the field for the BMW Championship if the tournament was today. The good news for Schauffele is he has won both the Scottish Open and The Open, and he still does his best work when the lights are the brightest. Odds -- Scottish Open: 20-1 | British Open: 20-1
2
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Ludvig Aberg
Åberg won a signature event and contended at the Masters, which makes the season largely successful, but there is still plenty of juice to squeeze. The young Swede has missed cuts at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open while being held outside the top 10 since that finish at Augusta National. Åberg was the 54-hole leader at last year's Scottish Open, and a surge would certainly ease the mind of European Ryder Cup fans given his slight drop-off this summer. Odds -- Scottish Open: 30-1 | British Open: 29-1
3
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Matt Fitzpatrick
The 2022 U.S. Open champion was an afterthought until a somewhat surprising contention run at the PGA Championship. Fitzpatrick's contention run at Quail Hollow has proved to not be a one-off as he has since followed it up with a couple quality outings including a T8 at the Rocket Classic. The Englishman finds himself outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings and 30th in the European Ryder Cup standings. He's been close at the Scottish Open with a playoff loss when it was held solely on the DP World Tour and a T6 finish in 2022. Odds -- Scottish Open: 40-1 | British Open: 50-1
4
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Justin Rose
Rose seemed like a lock for the European Ryder Cup team only a few months ago, but in those few months, a lot has changed. He raced out of the gates with a T3 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach, T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and playoff loss at the Masters. Since then, the former world No. 1 has played in six tournaments that has featured three missed cuts, a withdrawal and no finishes inside the top 40. (Not great!) He's down to No. 9 in the Ryder Cup rankings and will need to stop a skid at the Scottish Open before his return to The Open where he finished runner up last season. Odds -- Scottish Open: 80-1 | British Open: 47-1
5
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Jordan Spieth
Spieth is not in the field at the Scottish Open as he is expecting another child and was last seen withdrawing for the Travelers Championship due to an upper back injury. A return is expected next week at The Open where the 2017 champion has done little wrong throughout his career. Spieth has never missed the cut at The Open, rattling off seven straight top-25 finishes kickstarted by his win in 2017. The last time The Open was held at Royal Portrush, he was in the mix before a couple of poor weekend rounds saw him drift off the pace. Spieth finds himself likely in need of a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup if he doesn't win The Open (No. 25 in U.S. standings), and he's just inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup points race. Odds -- Scottish Open: n/a | British Open: 60-1