Fowler set to boss marquee match

Starts 7am Thursday live on Sky Sports 4 from 10.30am

Rarely does the marquee match of the day deliver the best threeball value, but that is the case with round one of the Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, Ayrshire.

Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson are scheduled to tee off at 8.30am followed by hordes of fans, and Fowler seems by far the most likely winner of the contest.

Fowler has been in exceptional form on the US Tour this season, winning once and contending on numerous other occasions, and the American raider is comfortable with every department of his game. The 2015 Scottish Open champion is licking his lips at the prospect of more links golf.

McIlroy is struggling for rhythm and form in what has been a stop-start campaign due to injury problems, while Stenson has been a shadow of the player who enjoyed such a magnificent 2016 season.

McIlroy and Stenson are both Open champions who should never be dismissed lightly, but Fowler will surely approach this match with more confidence than both. The tip, fourth on the US Tour's strokes-gained-putting statistics, has a considerable edge on the greens.

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