Out of the Rough: ISCO Championship (2025)

With most of the Tour’s best preparing for The Open Championship with this week’s Genesis Scottish Open, the up-and-coming stars and unsung heroes will play alongside members of the DP World Tour for this week’s ISCO Championship.

Just as the Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, so is this week’s ISCO Championship.

This event was once played on the same week as The Open but was moved forward a week three years ago to play opposite the Genesis Scottish Open.

This event debuted on the PGA Tour’s schedule in 2015 at Robert Trent Jones’ Golf Trail at Grand National in Auburn, Alabama as the Barbasol Championship.

It then moved to the Keene Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky in 2018 and was played there through last year.

This year, the event will be played at the Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky for the very first time.

This event too serves as the final chance for any hopeful to play themselves into The Open Championship.

The Field

With the event being co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour, it offers a rare chance for a number of European golfers to secure a PGA TOUR card if they are to win.

There are 50 spots in this week’s field reserved for DP World Tour golfers but there will not be that many making the trip over the pond to play this event.

Brandon Robinson-Thompson leads the charge of DP World Tour members looking to claim victory and not only play himself into The Open Championship but a full exemption to the PGA Tour for the next two seasons.

He’ll be joined by the likes of Angel Ayora, Marcus Armitage, Robin Williams, Marcus Kinhult, Fabrizio Zanotti, Hamish Brown, Ivan Cantero Guitierrez, Kazuma Kobori and Andrea Pavan as members of the DP World Tour.

Michael Thorbjornsen comes in as the highest ranked member of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) at 103rd.

He’ll be joined by fellow PGA Tour members Beau Hossler, Mark Hubbard, Adam Hadwin, Justin Lower, Patrick Fishburn, Rico Hoey, Vince Whaley, Seamus Power, Emiliano Grillo and Harry Higgs.

Harry Hall won last year’s installment at the Keene Trace Golf Club in a five man playoff over Zac Blair, Pierceson Coody, Hoey and Matthew NeSmith.

The Course

The Hurstbourne Country Club was built in 1967 by Chic Adams. Keith Foster substantially renovated the course in 2005. Most of the routing was untouched but the bunkers were upgraded in the renovation.

It plays as a par-72 at 7,007 yards.

Off-the-tee golfers will be faced with tight, tree lined fairways that feature many low-hanging limbs.

Bunkers are strategically placed to be brought into play off-the-tee as well as on the approach, surrounding the greens.

Five holes feature dog-legs as well, which will force golfers to either attempt to cut-the-corner or lay-up for a long approach shot.

Water comes into play on five holes as well. Ponds are featured on the front-nine as a creek comes into play on the back-nine.

Multiple holes also feature lengthy out-of-bounds areas that run along the fairways.

Notable holes include the par-four second that plays as the hardest hole on the course. It plays as 482-yards and features a pond in front of the tee box and another pond situated halfway along the fairway.

The par-four sixth hole demands a good drive into the fairway before attempting a second shot over water onto an undulating green.

The final two holes at this golf course are no joke either. The short par-four 17th features a green bordered by bunkers.

The unique par-three 18th hole is the course’s signature hole. It plays uphill towards the classic clubhouse. Golfers will play from an elevated tee over a valley onto the green. Three bunkers make hitting this green difficult. 

These final two holes will play their hand in who wins this week.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday is calling for a 45-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 25-percent chance, Saturday a 20-percent chance and Sunday a 25-percent chance. Even heading into the event, Wednesday is calling for a 45-percent chance of heavy thunderstorms and Monday calls for a 55-percent chance of heavy thunderstorms. Temperatures will begin at 83-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 87-degrees on Friday and returning to 86-degrees across the weekend. Winds are set for six miles-per-hour from Thursday through Saturday and will settle to three miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Stats 

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Accuracy

• Proximity to the Hole from 175-plus yards

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green / Sand Saves Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Par 5 Scoring Average

• Par 3 Scoring Average

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Scrambling

Betting Card

Vince Whaley (+2800)

Whaley is in great form heading into this week. He placed 33rd last week at the John Deere Classic, 32nd at the Rocket Classic, 52nd at the RBC Canadian Open, 11th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 37th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, 15th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 26th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and seventh at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He is currently ninth on Tour in par-three average scoring, tenth in both par-five average scoring and scrambling, 36th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 55th in sand saves percentage, 64th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 65th in SG: OTT, 69th in SG: ATG, 107th in birdie-or-better percentage, 134th in SG: APP and 156th in driving accuracy. He gained 0.263 strokes-on-approach per-round at the John Deere Classic, 0.133 at the Rocket Classic and 0.57 at the RBC Canadian Open over his last three events.

Carson Young (+5000)

Young is currently 19th at Tour in driving accuracy, 22nd in par-three average scoring, 28th in scrambling, 47th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 48th in SG: OTT, 59th in sand saves percentage, 65th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 107th in SG: APP, 128th in birdie-or-better percentage, 148th in SG: ATG and 171st in par-five average scoring. He placed fifth last week at the John Deere Classic. He did miss the cut at the Rocket Classic but prior to that placed 52nd at the RBC Canadian Open, 53rd at the Charles Schwab Challenge and 13th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. 

Chandler Phillips (+5000)

Phillips missed the cut last week at the John Deere Classic but placed 13th at the Rocket Classic a week prior. He also placed 64th at the RBC Canadian Open, missed the cut at both the Charles Schwab Challenge and ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic but placed 15th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and tenth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He is currently 11th on Tour in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 28th in par-three average scoring, 51st in scrambling, 56th in driving accuracy, 66th in SG: ATG, 73rd in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 80th in par-five average scoring, 107th in SG: APP, 111th in sand saves percentage, 119th in birdie-or-better percentage and 134th in SG: OTT. 

Kazuma Kobori (+12500)

Kobori placed third last week at the BMW International Open after shooting a nine-under on Sunday. He also placed 16th at the Italian Open. He missed the cut at both the KLM Open and the Austrian Alpine Open but placed 25th at the Soudal Open, 52nd at the Turkish Airlines Open, 45th at the Hainan Classic, 20th at the Volvo China Open and ninth at the Porsche Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. On the DP World Tour he is currently second in driving accuracy, eighth in scrambling, 12th in par-three average scoring, 20th in SG: PUTT, 45th in SG: ATG, 48th in birdie-or-better percentage, 66th in SG: APP, 71st in par-five average scoring, 76th in SG: OTT and 118th in sand saves percentage.