The DP World Tour is hosting a celebration of links golf this week, with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship welcoming world-class professionals and high-profile amateurs to Scotland. Here are five things you need to know.
Matt Fitzpatrick (and family) return to defend champs
“There's nothing better than winning at St Andrews.” Those were the words of Matt Fitzpatrick as he added his name to the list of winners of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. A week after helping Europe reclaim the Ryder Cup at Marco Simeone Golf and Country Club, the Briton won his ninth DP World Tour title by three strokes as bad weather shortened the match to 54 Hole. This year, the 2022 U.S. Open champion is trying to become the No. 2 player. Following compatriot Tyrrell Hatton, he won the title in consecutive years. The 30-year-old will also be looking to repeat last year's team championship win with his mum Sue. The elite players don't stop there, Rory McIlroy plays with his father Gerry, Hatton plays with his father Jeff and Robert Robert MacIntyre will be accompanied at the golf home by his father Dougie, course manager at Glencruitten Golf Club near Oban. .
In the field
The DP World Tour has become one of the most popular events on the DP World Tour calendar, so it's perhaps no surprise to see a number of world-renowned golfers taking part (led by a host of major champions). After back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Amgen Irish Open at the BMW PGA Championship, McIlroy will be looking to put a few close calls this year behind him as he celebrates his first Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title — —This is the first time he has won his title. 2007 DP World Tour Card. Other major champions include his 2023 European Ryder Cup teammates Jon Rahm, Sean Lowry and Fitzpatrick, while American duo Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are also preparing to compete. Three-time Grand Slam champion Pádraig Harrington will also take part, as will Hatton, who hopes to become the first three-time winner of Alfred Dunhill Links. Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, 2021 champion Danny Willett and two BMW PGA Championship winners Billy Horschel Horschel). Thriston Lawrence, who broke into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking last month, is well ahead of the challenge in South Africa. Harrington and David Howell are the only two professionals to compete in every edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
McIntyre leads home hopes
In the early years of the event, which was part of the DP World Tour in 2001, players from Scotland achieved great success, with inaugural champions Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Colin Colin Montgomerie has won the trophy in three of the first five editions of the competition. However, no Scot has won the title since Montgomery in 2005. McIntyre is one of those hoping to rectify the situation, having already won the Genesis Scottish Open on Scottish soil in July. He followed that up with a breakthrough PGA Tour win at the Canadian Open. The fan-favorite won't be short of support again this week, but he's not alone. Additionally, with the likes of Connor Syme, Grant Forrest and Calum Hill also representing Holy Cross, there is reason to be optimistic that Scotland People will be celebrating this weekend on the Sverkan Bridge.
Headlines from various industries
With a $5 million purse, the Alfred Dunhill Links features two separate tournaments: an individual professional event for the world's leading golfers and a team championship that pairs professional golfers with amateur golfers, creating a unique atmosphere. Promotion occurs after three rounds, with the final round featuring the 60 leading pros and tie players, as well as the 20 lowest-scoring pro-am teams, regardless of the pros' individual scores. Stars of sport and screen – across a range of fields – will be competing throughout the week in their diaries, and they're making sure to stay free. Hollywood stars Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Bill Murray and Kathryn Newton will take to the stage, while figures from the music industry such as Keene's Tom Chaplin, Linkin Park's Dave Farley Er, as well as Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics' Mike Rutherford, will share the lanes with American rock legends Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi's Tico Torres. Playing alongside them are Gareth Bale, Kevin Pietersen, Ruud Gullit, Sir Steve Redgrave Redgrave and surfing superstar Kelly Slater, among many other sports stars.
Charity is the cornerstone of this event
Alfred Dunhill Links has only missed the DP World Tour schedule once since its inception in 2001 – in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament is played on three of the world's most famous links courses – St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns – and is a favorite among players, amateurs (celebrity or otherwise) and fans. favorite. Held on the east coast of Scotland, the tournament features diverse and challenging venues, creating a special bond between players and their partners through their passion for golf. Now in its 23rd edition, another aspect of the tournament is how participating golfers support a number of charities through the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation, which has raised millions of pounds over the years.