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 features a slew of big names, including Brooks Koepka, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cam Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Robert MacIntyre, among others.
Some of the other familiar names in the field include Marc Leishman, Victor Perez, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Alex Fitzpatrick, Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Lucas Herbert, Ian Poulter, Michael La Sasso, Dean Burmester, and David Puig.
Here’s a primer for a weekend of high-level golf in Scotland.
The Skinny
Event: Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Dates: Oct. 1-4, 2026
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
2025 Winner: Robert MacIntyre
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, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre, and three-time winner Tyrrell Hatton – the event’s only back-to-back winner (2016-17). Hatton is also a three-time runner-up (2018, 2021, 2025).
History: Records
Wins
3 – Tyrrell Hatton (2016-17, 2024)
Scoring
264 (−24) – Tyrrell Hatton (2017, 2024)
265 (−23) – Tyrrell Hatton (2016)
265 (−23) – David Howell (2013)
Victory Margin
5 – Padraig Harrington (2006)
4 – Tyrrell Hatton (2016)
4 – Tyrrell Hatton (2016)
Field
The field in Scotland features several marquee names including Brooks Koepka, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose.
Fitzpatrick, the slight favorite at 8-1, enters off a win at the French Open along with recent peak form.
Essentially a co-fav at 10-1, Fleetwood enters in suspect form, coming in off a WD (France) and MC (Wentworth) in his first two starts of the European Tour’s fall swing.
Robert MacIntyre and Tyrrell Hatton are listed at 14-1. MacIntyre enters off two top-15s (Wentworth and Doonbeg) while Hatton appears to be in a mini slump (five straight finishes outside the top 20).
Alex Noren rounds out the bookies’ top 5 in Scotland at 18-1.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Rank-Player (Odds)
1. Matt Fitzpatrick (8-1)
2. Tommy Fleetwood (10-1)
3. Tyrrell Hatton (12-1)
3. Robert MacIntyre (12-1)
5. Alex Noren (18-1)
Credit: European Tour Media, Getty Images
