The galleries at St Andrews will be out in strength in October when Scotland’s golfing hero Robert MacIntyre returns to the Old Course to challenge for a second straight Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Last year, MacIntyre rounded off a memorable seven days, following his pivotal role in Europe’s magnificent Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black, with a dominant performance in the Dunhill Links, climaxing with a final round 66 at St Andrews for a four-shot victory.
His admiring fans cheered him every step of the way on the Old Course, as he won his second big event in Scotland, adding the Alfred Dunhill Links title to the 2024 Scottish Open, making him the only Scot, along with Colin Montgomerie, to win both.
MacIntyre has already confirmed he will be in the field when the Championship takes place from October 1-4, he said: “It was a very special time for me. I had won a Scottish Open the previous year, then the Dunhill Links and a Ryder Cup in between. That was very exciting.
“As a Scotsman there is no better place to win than St Andrews. I can’t wait to go back as defending champion later this year to see if I can do it again. I’ve always loved to come to St Andrews. I’ve been coming here with the family for years, sometimes just to walk on the beach and to be in the town.
“The whole place is golf heaven and it makes it even more fun during the Championship that so many of my family and friends are able to come to St Andrews to support me.”
MacIntyre, ranked World Number 17, was the first Scottish winner of the Dunhill Links since Colin Montgomerie in 2005 and only the fourth Scot to experience the thrill of holding the trophy aloft at the Home of Golf. Stephen Gallacher triumphed in 2004 and Paul Lawrie claimed the inaugural title in 2001.
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the Alfred Dunhill Links incorporates two separate competitions - an Individual Professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and the Team Championship in which the professionals are paired with amateur golfers which creates a unique atmosphere.
Among the golfers who have graced the fairways over the years are Major Championship winners such as Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Matt Fitzpatrick, John Rahm, Ernie Els, Shane Lowry, Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Fred Couples and Louis Oosthuizen. Other popular golfers to have played include three-time winner Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Billy Horschel and Tony Finau.
At the heart of the event is the Team Championship, where each professional partners an amateur. In recent years the amateurs have included Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Grant, Bill Murray, Jamie Dornan, Andy Garcia, Kathryn Newton, Ronan Keating, Justin Timberlake, Huey Lewis, Tico Torres, Sir Andy Murray, Sir Ian Botham, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen and Ruud Gullit.
In June 2011 the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation was established as the official Foundation of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The Foundation is committed to developing young amateur golfers in Scotland and South Africa and also supports the University of St Andrews and the St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, which refurbishes and preserves historical monuments in the town.
Admission is free for all spectators over the first three days of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. To purchase tickets for the final day, Sunday, October 4, click here.
