The Championship Committee has announced that the world’s top golfers have an opportunity to pitch for a total prize fund of US$ 5,000,000 (approx. £3,460,000*) at the inaugural Dunhill Links Championship, to be played October 18-21, 2001.
The prize fund will be broken down rewarding the leading 70 professionals, based on their individual scores, with US$ 4,800,000 (approx. £3,320,000) and a further US$ 200,000 (approx. £140,000) for the professionals in the leading 20 teams.
Some of the world’s finest players will be chasing first place of US$ 800,000 (approx. £555,000) in the individual competition and they will also be chipping in for the team event that will add a further US$50,000 (approx. £35,000) to the victor in the team events earnings. This could potentially allow one professional to earn up to US$ 850,000 (approx. £590,000).
Conceived as a celebration of Links golf, the 72 hole event will be decided over some of the world’s best known and respected links courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews; the Championship course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links. The event is sponsored by Dunhill, the mens’ luxury goods company, which recently opened its new London flagship store at 21 Old Bond Street.
156 teams of one professional and one amateur will contest the first three rounds with one round being played at each of the three links courses in rotation. Two competitions will be played concurrently – Professional Individual and Team. The team score will be the best net score of the two members at each hole. After 54 holes the field will be reduced to the leading 60 professionals and ties plus the 20 leading teams, all of whom will play the final round over the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Play will be in four-ball groups and in order to accommodate as many players as practical, all four rounds will start from both the first and tenth tees at all courses. Eligibility for the 156 professional field will be as follows:
- The top 50 from the WORLD GOLF RANKING as of September 17, 2001.
- The leading 12 players from each of the 2000 Davidoff Tour Order of Merit, the 2000/01 Australasian PGA Tour Order of Merit; and the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, who are not otherwise qualified from the OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING.
- 20 invitations.
- Balance of the field from European Tour entries in category order.
The Dunhill Links Championship will be televised live from all three golf courses on all four days on SKY SPORTS TV in the UK, on the Golf Channel in the USA and Japan, on M-Net in South Africa and in over 120 countries world wide.
Ticket prices will be £15 (inclusive of VAT) per day or a four-day season at £40 and will be valid at all three courses. Senior citizens (over 60) will enjoy a special concessionary rate of £8 per day or £22 for a season. Under 18’s and students will be admitted free. Car Parking will be free. Tickets will be available through the Ticket Hotline on 0870 010 9021 or through the Pro Shops at the Old Course Hotel, the Carnoustie Hotel and the Kingsbarns Clubhouse.
PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN
Position US$
1st 800,000
2nd 533,330
3rd 300,480
4th 240,000
5th 203,520
6th 168,000
7th 144,000
8th 120,000
9th 107,520
10th 96,000
11th 88,320
12th 82,560
13th 77,280
14th 73,440
15th 70,560
16th 67,680
17th 64,800
18th 61,920
19th 59,520
20th 57,600
21st 55,680
22nd 54,240
23rd 52,800
24th 51,360
25th 49,920
26th 48,480
27th 47,040
28th 45,600
29th 44,160
30th 42,720
31st 41,280
32nd 39,840
33rd 38,400
34th 36,960
35th 36,000
36th 35,040
37th 34,080
38th 33,120
39th 32,160
40th 31,200
41st 30,240
42nd 29,280
43rd 28,320
44th 27,360
45th 26,400
46th 25,440
47th 24,480
48th 23,520
49th 22,560
50th 21,600
51st 20,640
52nd 19,680
53rd 18,720
54th 17,760
55th 16,800
56th 15,840
57th 14,880
58th 14,400
59th 13,920
60th 13,440
61st 12,960
62nd 12,480
63rd 12,000
64th 11,520
65th 11,040
66th 10,560
67th 10,080
68th 9,600
69th 9,120
70th 8,750
