Michael Douglas, star of blockbuster films including Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, The War of the Roses and Traffic, will be at St Andrews next month to take part in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
In his career Douglas has won three Golden Globes and two Oscars, first as producer of Best Picture, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and then as Best Actor in 1987 for his role as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. Other hugely popular films in which he starred include Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, Disclosure and War of the Roses and the multiple award winning Behind the Candelabra.
He appeared as Hank Pym in Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, appearing in four films: Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), which also featured Kathryn Newton.
This year Douglas will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of his greatest moments in golf, when he played with winner Colin Montgomerie on the final day of the 2005 Alfred Dunhill Links, where Montgomerie delivered a virtuoso performance in one of the greatest arenas of sport, coming from five shots back for victory. The highlight was Montgomerie sinking a four-foot putt for a dramatic winning birdie three on the famous 18th hole in front of the windows of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse.
Douglas said: “It was stunning, a real joy to behold. One of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It was truly magical. It was a good day on a great course. I’d played there before, beside some of the best players in the world, but to watch Colin make shot after shot out there was just extraordinary.”
He is one of a blue chip collection of celebrity amateurs, including Hollywood actors and global rock stars, who will be partnering a world-class field of professionals at one of the most historic golfing locations in the world.
Among them are actors Kathryn Newton and Matthew Goode and a super group of music giants: Keane’s Tom Chaplin, Linkin Park’s Dave Farrell, singer-songwriter Ronan Keating, Mike Rutherford of Genesis and cult US rock legend Huey Lewis, who played in the first Dunhill Links back in 2001.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is a celebration of Links golf, played over the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, three of the greatest Links courses in the world, from October 2 – 5, culminating in the final day on the Old Course.
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the event incorporates two separate competitions - an Individual Professional event for the world's leading golfers and the Team Championship in which the professionals are paired with amateur golfers, creating a unique atmosphere.
England’s Tyrrell Hatton will be back at St Andrews to defend his professional title, with the goal of becoming the first golfer to win the Championship four times. Hatton sank a four-foot putt for a birdie three on the 18th last year to beat Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, adding another victory to his back-to-back Dunhill successes in 2016 and 2017.
Also playing are Major Champions from around the world, including Pádraig Harrington, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson, plus Tommy Fleetwood, recent winner of the US PGA TOUR's Tour Championship and Scotland’s local hero Bob MacIntyre.
