Some of the big names in the field this week included Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel.
But in the amateur portion of the event, there are few names bigger for English fans than Gareth Bale, a Welsh soccer star who has long had a passion for golf.
When Bale pitched from a bank, slowly rolling the ball to about 10 feet, one of the dogs got loose and quickly took chase, eventually grabbing the ball in his mouth.
Gareth Bale's golf ball was stolen on the green by a DOG during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 🤣🐕 pic.twitter.com/XFwYFwfHwz
Bale and his partner Daniel Brown are currently on the edge of the top 10 in the team portion of the event, and Bale was able to put place the ball back at the spot on which it stopped.
Three of the most iconic venues in golf become three of the cutest.
Three of the most iconic venues in golf are also three of the cutest.
The DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played over three historic golf courses – The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns – over the first three days. Then for the final round everyone hits the Old Course a second time.
Some of the big names in the field include Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel.
During the week, the golf courses get visits from a variety of everyone’s four-legged friends. All dogs must remain on a leash but they can tag along any day of the week.
The tournament released a video called “The Dogs of Dunhill” as well.
As golf’s civil war continues to drag on, fans across the sport are becoming less interested. Television broadcasts see declined viewership numbers on what seems like a weekly basis, and the continued talk of bringing the game back together is only creating a deeper sense of frustration.
Matt Fitzpatrick sees it in a similar light.
The Englishman returned to the Old Course at St. Andrews this week to defend his title at the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which has quickly turned into the rendezvous point for both sides of the game.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, LIV Golf’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings are all on site in Scotland – Monahan and Al-Rumayyan played together at Carnoustie on Thursday – as are players from the various leagues including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.
When asked if there’s a “feeling that this week (is) a little bit of coming together for golf,” Fitzpatrick didn’t beat around the bush.
“I think in terms of bringing the game together this week, I’m passed the point of caring,” Fitzpatrick said Wednesday. “I just don’t care. Me saying things to the PGA Tour board, me saying things to the DP World Tour board, it’s not going to change, so why am I going to waste my time talking about it?”
Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, interact at the 10th tee and during day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 at Carnoustie Golf Links on October 03, 2024 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
As for the bad blood between the two sides, the world No. 29 doesn’t see it dissolving quite yet.
“Not necessarily. I think there’s probably some players in the States, their feelings, I don’t think they would be very happy. If I’m probably brutally honest, at the start, I probably was pretty against, and it was not of any interest to me to go and play LIV. But I’ve always said that I understood why people went. I’ve got no issues with that. No issues at all.
“My issue was always, at the start, anyway, is you’ve gone over there. Like I don’t feel like it’s fair for you to try and come back and play, as well. But I would say I’ve changed on that now. Again, I just don’t care. I just want to focus on myself. I think that’s what’s important, and try and play the best golf I can, and that’s, I don’t want to get 10 years down the road, obviously, and look back and I’m not going to sit there and think, ‘Oh, I wish I’d got more involved in that LIV and PGA Tour.’
“It’s like, you’re wasting your time.”
On the golf course Thursday, Fitzpatrick shot a 4-under 68 and is tied for 49th. He’ll head to Kingsbarns on Friday before enjoying the Old Course on Saturday.
One of the most fun events on golf’s calendar is here, as several of the best players in the world are set to compete in the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Over the first three days of competition, players will take on The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, three of the most iconic venues in the sport, before the final round is played at the Home of Golf.
Some of the big names in the field include Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Billy Horschel.
LIV Golf’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour Chief Executive Officer Guy Kinnings are all expected to be at the event.
While the PGA Tour is in Jackson, Mississippi, for the Sanderson Farms Championship, plenty of the best players in the world are in Scotland for the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The DP World Tour event takes place over three of the most iconic venues in golf: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
There are several LIV Golf stars in the field, including Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton. They’ll be joined by Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre and BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel.
On top of the game’s best players coming together across the pond, LIV Golf’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour Chief Executive Officer Guy Kinnings are all expected to be at the event.
Bettings odds for the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Player
Odds
Rory McIlroy
(+600)
Jon Rahm
(+600)
Tyrrell Hatton
(+1000)
Tommy Fleetwood
(+1200)
Brooks Koepka
(+1800)
Shane Lowry
(+2000)
Robert MacIntyre
(+2200)
Alex Noren
(+2200)
Billy Horschel
(+2500)
Rasmus Hojgaard
(+2800)
Thriston Lawrence
(+3000)
Matt Wallace
(+3000)
Matt Fitzpatrick
(+3500)
Patrick Reed
(+4000)
Niklas Norgaard
(+4000)
Louis Oosthuizen
(+4000)
Tom McKibbin
(+4500)
Thomas Detry
(+5000)
Dean Burmester
(+5000)
Peter Uihlein
(+5500)
Talor Gooch
(+6000)
Grant Forrest
(+6000)
David Puig
(+6000)
Alex Fitzpatrick
(+6500)
Thorbjorn Olesen
(+7000)
Sebastian Soderberg
(+7000)
Jordan Smith
(+7000)
Nicolai Hojgaard
(+7500)
Laurie Canter
(+7500)
Matthieu Pavon
(+8000)
Antoine Rozner
(+8000)
Andrew Putnam
(+8000)
Richard Mansell
(+9000)
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
(+10000)
Calum Hill
(+10000)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]
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This will be the first time the two (and Guy Kinnings) are at the same event since the game’s civil war began.
LIV Golf’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour Chief Executive Officer Guy Kinnings are all expected to be at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a DP World Tour event contested over three of the most famous venues in golf: St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, according to The Telegraph.
And in fact, Al-Rumayyan and Monahan are scheduled to play together in the pro-am, paired with PGA Tour-friendly Billy Horschel and Dean Burmester.
This will be the first time all three, Kinnings included, are at the same event since the game’s civil war began.
Group 43 at the Dunhill Links Championship might attract more eyeballs than the final pairing on Sunday. 🧐 pic.twitter.com/L3zTa4wp3C
The field for the Dunhill Links is loaded with some of the biggest names in golf, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and Billy Horschel.
It’s hard to imagine a better spot for all golf’s biggest players to come together.
Make no mistake: the best field in golf this week is across the pond.
Make no mistake: the best field in golf this week is across the pond.
One of the best events on the DP World Tour schedule, the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship gets underway Thursday at three of Scotland’s best courses: the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Golfers will compete one round on all three courses before a cut is made, and those who advance to the final round will battle it out at St. Andrews for the title.
As if that wasn’t good enough, each player will team up with an amateur. European soccer star Gareth Bale, Denver Broncos GM John Elway and a host of other A-list celebrities will tee it up with plenty stars in the game of golf for the competition.
Matt Fitzpatrick is the event’s defending champion, and he also won the team competition with his mother, Sue. They’re both back to defend their titles.
It’s Championship week. And the world of golf is getting ready for the #dunhilllinks at the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/JEphEUCZfM
In addition to Fitzpatrick’s return, other big names in the field include Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and more. Also in the field is Billy Horschel, winner of the BMW PGA Championship earlier this month.
Hatton and Padraig Harrington both have a shot at becoming the first player to win the Alfred Dunhill Links three times.
Again, if that wasn’t good enough, entry for fans on the first three days of competition is free. Tickets are needed only on Sunday at St. Andrews for the final round.
For Choi, it’s his second PGA Tour Champions victory and first since 2021.
It was a special Sunday for K.J. Choi in Scotland.
The 54-year-old from South Korea won his first senior major championship at Carnoustie, going low on the back nine to pull away and win the 2024 Senior Open Championship by two shots over Richard Green.
“Very historical for Korean player to win this,” he said.
Choi, who led by one entering the final round, shot 4-under 32 on the back nine to finish at 10 under for the week.
For Choi, it’s his second PGA Tour Champions victory and first since 2021. He was the only player to shoot under par all four rounds in the Senior Open Championship, and only 11 players finished under par for the week.
“I really want it, champion, because my dream come true,” he said. “For player from Korea, is always Open watch on TV.
“This event is historical in Korea, first-time champion in Senior Open. Very proud this week.”
Paul Broadhurst placed third at 6 under while Stephen Ames came in fourth at 3 under. Green birdied the final hole while Choi made bogey, but with a four-shot lead heading to the final hole, the lead was safe.
In 2007, Choi placed T-8 at the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Cabrera, 54, was in prison in Brazil and Argentina for more than two years for domestic violence and other charges. In May, he was granted a visa. In June, he made his PGA Tour Champions return in Wisconsin. Two weeks after that, he won a match play event in England, his first professional victory after four years away from the game.
But now, he’s contending at a major, as his 70 in Saturday’s third round of the Senior Open Championship left him just five shots behind K.J. Choi heading into the final round of play.
Cabrera struggled a bit on the front with a pair of bogeys and a single birdie, but after the turn he caught fire, posting a 33 on the back to move into fifth place at 3 under for the tournament. Choi sits at 8 under while Richard Green (7 under), Arjun Atwal (6 under) and Paul Broadhurst (4 under) are ahead of him.
As a past winner on the PGA Tour, Cabrera is a PGA Tour Champions member, but his entry into a field is dependent upon how the field is filled, according to a spokesperson for PGA Tour Champions. As a major championship winner, he is eligible for both restricted and unrestricted sponsor exemptions, and there is no limit to the number of sponsor exemptions he can receive. He also is exempt to compete in an event qualifier as a past champion on the PGA Tour.
Standing on the 15th tee, @KJChoi_Golf led by five shots.
After back-to-back double-bogeys, he fell into a tie for the lead.
A birdie on the 18th hole gave him the solo lead heading into tomorrow's final round where he looks to win his first Senior Major title 💪 pic.twitter.com/2l4y2nPvVO
Meanwhile, Choi is in position to capture the first major of his illustrious career. The eight-time PGA Tour winner overcame a rough stretch on the back nine Saturday, but posted a birdie on the final hole to regain the lead.
“Today, a couple shot mistake and then more worse than yesterday, last two days,” Choi said. “So my caddie say, okay, tomorrow, no mistake. So we make birdie. Make try on the irons. It’s a good sign today and happy with round.”
Choi is the only golfer in the field with two sub-70 rounds.
KJ Choi has a pair of 69s at Carnoustie Golf Links this week, the only golfer in the field at the 2024 Senior Open with two sub-70 rounds. In fact, he has two of the just eight rounds in the 60s so far out of the 304 scores that have been posted over two days at the Scottish links.
Choi has the solo lead at six under, up two on the field halfway through the final senior men’s major of 2024.
Choi bogeyed the 18th hole for a second day in a row but offset three overall second-round bogeys with four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12th hole.
Choi, 54, hasn’t won a senior tour event since 2020 and has never won a major on any tour but he’s in good position now to break that streak.
Meanwhile, the comeback story of Angel Cabrera continues. Cabrera, 54, was in prison in Brazil and Argentina 2 ½ years for domestic violence and other lesser charges. In May, he was granted a visa. In June, he made his PGA Tour Champions return in Wisconsin. Two weeks after that, he won a match play event in England, his first professional victory after four years away from the game.
Now, he’s contending at a major. He opened with a 73 but posted a 1-under 70 on Friday to climb into a tie for sixth. He’s one of just nine golfers in the field under par after 36 holes.
Stephen Ames is solo second at 4 under. Richard Green and Padraig Harrington are tied for third at 3 under. Miguel Angel Martin is solo fifth at 2 under. Cabrera is in a group of five golfers tied for sixth at 1 under, alongside Darren Clarke, Peter Baker, Arjun Atwal and Paul Broadhurst, who became a viral hit in the first round after whiffing on a putt from two inches away from the cup.
Three golfers are tied for 11th at even par: Bernhard Langer, Steven Alker and Thomas Bjorn, who will serve as a vice captain for the European Ryder Cup team in 2025.
The cut came in at 7 over. Among those not advancing to the weekend include Justin Leonard, Tim Herron, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jerry Kelly.
