The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship may not be a Rolex Series event, but with a $5,000,000 purse, contested on three historic Scotland tracks, it sure feels like a big one.
And some of the world’s best players seem to agree, as the field this week is headlined by three of the game’s biggest stars: Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm.
In addition to the aforementioned big three, other marquee names in the field include Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed, Shane Lowry, Billy Horschel, two-time Alfred Dunhill Links winner Tyrrell Hatton, and defending champ Matt Fitzpatrick, among others.
Here’s a primer for a weekend of high-level golf in Scotland.
The Skinny
Event: Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Dates: Oct. 3-6, 2024
Tour Debut: 2001
Event Series: Back 9 Swing
Course: Old Course, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns
Where: Scotland, UK
Old Course: Par 72, 7318 yards
Carnoustie: Par 72, 7394 yards
Kingsbarns: Par 72, 7227 yards
Format: Pro-Am, Stroke-play, 54-hole cut
Field Size: 164 Players, Top 60 Cut
Purse: $5m
Win Share: $860k
2023 Winner: Matt Fitzpatrick
How to Follow the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
TELEVISION: Thu-Sat: 8 a.m.-12 p.m. (GOLF); Sun: 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (GOLF)
All times EST. All broadcasts via GOLF Channel
LINKS: Web Feed | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook
History
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is one of the premier tournaments on the European Tour. It is annually held in September, and contested on three different links courses, centered around St. Andrews in Scotland.
The tournament is a pro-am – similar to the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where each team consists of one amateur and one professional. The three-course rotation consists of The Old Course at St Andrews (Rounds 1 and 4), Carnoustie Golf Links (Round 2) and Kingsbarns Golf Links (Round 3).
The 54-hole cut is made of the top 60 professionals and the leading 20 pro-am teams, regardless of the professional member of the team making the individual cut. These players and teams advance to the final round at St Andrews.
Originally called the Dunhill Links Championship, the event was introduced in 2001 as a replacement for the Alfred Dunhill Cup, a three-man team tournament. The inaugural winner was Scotland’s own Paul Lawrie, who edged Ernie Els by one stroke.
To increase interest in the event – like the aforementioned Pebble Beach event, many of the amateurs are well-known celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment.
In addition to Lawrie, past winners have included familiar names such as Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace, and Tyrrell Hatton – the event’s only back-to-back winner (2016-17).
History: Records
Wins
2 – Tyrrell Hatton (2016-17)
2 – Padraig Harrington (2002, 2006)
Scoring
264 (−24) – Tyrrell Hatton (2017)
265 (−23) – Tyrrell Hatton (2016)
265 (−23) – David Howell (2013)
Victory Margin
5 – Padraig Harrington (2006)
4 – Tyrrell Hatton (2016)
Field
The field in Scotland is headlined by three generational superstars in Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm.
Rahm, the slight favorite at 6-1, enters off a playoff runner-up at the Spanish Open and a win at the LIV Golf Chicago event.
Essentially a co-fav at 7-1, McIlroy also enters in peak form, coming in off back-to-back runner-up finishes (Irish Open and Wentworth) last month.
Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton are listed at 11-1 – with both Ryder Cup stars entering off top-10 finishes last week in Spain.
Koepka, the five-time major winner, rounds out the bookies’ top 5 in Scotland at 16-1.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Pos-Player-To Par-(Final Rd)
1. Jon Rahm (6-1)
2. Rory McIlroy (7-1)
3. Tyrrell Hatton (11-1)
3. Tommy Fleetwood (11-1)
5. Brooks Koepka (16-1)
Full Field & Odds
Credit: European Tour Media, Getty Images
