With just roughly a month remaining on the DP World Tour’s schedule before the DP World Tour Play-offs, the European based tour turns its attention to its only Pro-Am.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is an one-of-a-kind event that has Europe’s best playing four rounds across three separate historic links venues.
This event was first established in 2001 and has quickly become an established tradition as we enter the 23rd edition this season.
Being a pro-am, professional golfers and celebrities together will take to these historic links venues.
Event Structure
Each professional golfer in this week’s field will be partnered by one amateur as the duos each play one of three separate links courses in rotation over the first three days.
From there, the cut is made after the third round where the top 60 pros and ties along with the top 20 teams progress to the final round that will be played at St. Andrews on Sunday.
In the event of making the cut, golfers will play St. Andrews twice as they play the other two venues (detailed below) once.
The Field
Being one of the premier events of the DP World Tour each season, the Alfred Dunhill Championship typically draws a star-studded field and this season follows suit.
Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy continue their play on the DP World Tour this week as they co-headline this week’s Field.
Joining them are many of World’s best from across the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Tour including Tyrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Billy Horschel, Robert MacIntyre, Alex Noren, Matt Fitzpatrick, Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed.
Leading the charge for the DP World Tour regulars this week are Thriston Lawrence, Rasmus Hojgaard, Niklas Norgaard, Sebastian Soderberg, Tom Mckibbin and Jordan Smith.
As this week also serves as the DP World Tour’s only Pro-Am, many celebrities from all walks of life will be teeing it up along with some of the World’s best golfers.
Among them are many A-list actors and actresses including Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Kathryn Newton and Bill Murray.
The event is also drawing some of the biggest names in sports including Gareth Bale, John Elway, Ruud Gullit, Kevin Pietersen, Sir Steve Redgrace, Sir A P McCoy, Jimmy Anderson and Kelly Slater.
Matt Fitzpatrick comes in as the defending champion of this event as he bested 2022 winner, Ryan Fox, by three strokes.
Other former winners of this event teeing it up this week include Danny Willett (2021,) Hatton (2017 & 2016,) Thorbjørn Olesen (2015,) Oliver Wilson (2014,) David Howell (2013,) Branden Grace (2012,) Padraig Harrington (2006 & 2002) and Stephen Gallacher (2004.)
The Courses
St. Andrews (Old Course,) Fife, Scotland
St. Andrews is arguably the most notable course in the world of golf and is oftentimes deemed as the ‘home of golf.’
It is oftentimes referred to as ‘The Old Lady,’ and is one of those courses that anyone who has ever once touched a golf club would like to play.
St. Andrews hosts the Open Championship every five years.
It plays as a par 72 at 7,318 yards.
The back-nine at St. Andrews is what makes-or-breaks a round. Holes 11-to-17 is the toughest stretch of holes on this course.
The greens typically play at around ten on the Simpmeter.
Of course, the true defense to St. Andrews is the weather. You can see how the weather is forecasted for this week below.
Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
Carnoustie plays as a Par 72 at 7,394 yards.
This venue has been the host of the Open Championship eight times. It was the scene of Francesco Molinari’s improbable victory in 2018.
This was also the place where we saw Harrington, who is playing in this week’s event, edge out Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2007.
This course is often referred to as Carnasty and is famous for its extremely deep pot bunkers.
Carnoustie is undoubtedly the toughest of the three tracks we’ll see this week.
Although it is the toughest course, it’ll be set up in a way to not completely embarrass the amateurs and celebrities playing this week. It will play nowhere as difficult as it has in its eight hostings of the Open Championship.
Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Kingsbarns plays as a par 72 at 7,227 yards.
This is the newest of the three courses we’ll see this week and is located just seven miles from St. Andrews.
This is a Kyle Philips design that was opened in 2000.
Kingsbarns is known for its generous fairways and few water hazards. It is not a difficult track by any means if the weather cooperates.
The 2012 winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship opened with a round of 60 here at Kingsbarns.
In all, these courses are all going to be set up in a way to help the amateurs. Expect a birdie fest this week.
The Weather
As both St. Andrews and Kingsbarns sit in Fife, Scotland and Carnoustie sitting an hour away, weather appears to be the same for each of the venues. As of the time of writing this, we can expect some wet conditions across the weekend. There is currently a 60-percent chance of precipitation on Saturday and 50-percent chance on Sunday. Thursday and Friday each call for just a ten-percent chance. Temperatures will begin at 57-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 59-degrees on Friday and falling to 56-degrees across the weekend. Winds will be at the lowest on Thursday at just six miles-per-hour before reaching ten-or-11 miles-per-hour across the weekend. In all, a lot of what we can expect out of links golf in Scotland.
Key Stats
Birdie or Better Percentage
Bogey Avoidance
Greens in Regulation Percentage
Par 4 Average Scoring
Sand Saves Percentage
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Strokes Gained: Approach
Scrambling
Strokes Gained: Putting
Betting Card
Alex Noren (+3300)
Noren last played on the DP World Tour at the BMW PGA Championship where he finished T30th. However, the last time he played links golf he placed T13th at The Open Championship and T10th at the Genesis Scottish Open. He also placed T9th at the BMW Championship and T30th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to conclude his PGA Tour season. On the DP World Tour this season, which includes three majors of the five qualifying events, he is first in par four average scoring, second in scrambling, seventh in bogey avoidance, 11th in GIR%, 12th in sand saves percentage, 17th in SG: OTT, 19th in SG: APP, 22nd in SG: ATG, 54th in SG: PUTT and 61st in birdie or better percentage. Noren is a ten time winner on the DP World Tour for a reason.
Thriston Lawrence (+3500)
Lawrence has done everything on the DP World Tour this season except win. He’s been in insane form the entire season. He’s fresh off another runner-up finish two weeks back at the BMW PGA Championship. That marks his fifth runner-up finish of the season to go along with six top fives and nine top-tens. We also cannot forget that he placed fourth at The Open Championship. In his last five outings he has gone T2nd at the BMW PGA Championship, T26th at the Amgen Irish Open, T27th at the Omega European Masters, second at the Betfred British Masters and fourth at The Open Championship. He is currently first on Tour in SG: PUTT, third in birdie or better percentage, 16th in SG: OTT, 18th in scrambling, 21st in both bogey avoidance and par four average scoring, 29th in sand saves percentage, 49th in GIR%, 53rd in SG: APP and 119th in SG: ATG.
Niklas Norgaard (+5000)
Norgaard has a great track record here at this event, although just a two year sample size. He placed 37th a year ago and 7th in his debut in 2022. He is also fourth on Tour in SG: OTT, sixth in birdie or better percentage, 18th in GIR%, 30th in bogey avoidance, 34th in par four average scoring, 61st in SG: APP, 78th in scrambling, 87th in sand saves percentage, 100th in SG: PUTT and 116th in SG: ATG. He placed T7th in his last outing at the BMW PGA Championship. He also placed T36th at the Amgen Irish Open, won the Betfred British Masters, placed T27th at the Danish Golf Championship and T15th at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Jordan Smith (+7000)
I continue to love the value Smith is getting in these tournaments as of late. At 70/1 we’re getting a guy who has placed in the top 18 in each of his last four events. He placed T18th at the BMW PGA Championship, T7th at the Amgen Irish Open, T12th at the Omega European Masters and T12th at the Betfred British Masters. He is currently first on Tour in GIR%, ninth in bogey avoidance, 15th in SG: OTT, 36th in SG: APP, 38th in par four average scoring, 42nd in birdie or better percentage, 45th in scrambling, 75th in SG: ATG, 81st in sand saves percentage and 105th in SG: PUTT.023
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