Some of the most enthusiastic and well known amateur golfers will join many of the world’s greatest players in one of the finest fields ever assembled for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Personalities from the world of entertainment, including Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, Ronan Keating, Huey Lewis, Kyle MacLachlan, Bill Murray and Tico Torres, will share centre stage with top golfers such as Ernie Els, European Ryder Cup Captain Nick Faldo Open Champion Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie and double Masters Tournament winner José Maria Olazábal.
Three of Britain’s sporting Knights – Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Steve Redgrave – lead a strong locker room of sports stars including football legends Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Matthew Le Tissier, Wimbledon tennis hero Boris Becker, Australia’s greatest ever cricket captain Steve Waugh, South African rugby giant Morné du Plessis, American Football’s renowned running back Marcus Allen and Austria’s Olympic gold medal skier Franz Klammer.
The amateurs will be joining a world class field of professionals. Harrington will be bidding for an unprecedented third Alfred Dunhill Links title, and he will be competing against a line up of players including 2003 champion Lee Westwood, winner of last week's Quinn Direct British Masters, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Niclas Fasth, Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
The tournament, conceived as a celebration of links golf, is played over three 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 – from October 4-7.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has a unique format. With a prize fund of US$5 million, it incorporates two separate competitions – an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and a team event in which they are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers.
A total of 168 teams of one professional and one amateur contest the first three rounds, with one round being played at each of the three courses in rotation. Two competitions are played concurrently – individual professional and team. The team score will be the best net score of the two players at each hole. After 54 holes the field reduces to the leading 60 professionals and ties, plus the 20 leading teams, all of whom 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.
Entrance to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will be FREE at all three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A ticket price of £15 (concessionary £10) will be charged for the final day’s play over the Old Course on Sunday, October 7. Entry for under 16s and students is free. Tickets are available through the ticket hotline on 0870 010 9021 or at the entrance gates. There is free parking for spectators and a free shuttle bus service will be in operation between the courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
