Fleetwood, Smith and Bubba play in 25th Dunhill Links
European Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood has confirmed he will be back in St Andrews to compete in the 25th Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October. Among his challengers will be Major champions Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson.
Hoping to win his first ever Alfred Dunhill Links, Fleetwood has twice been runner-up, once third and seven times in the top ten. His best moment came in 2019 when he and American businessman Ogden Phipps II edged out Rory McIlroy and his dad Gerry in a thrilling finish to win the Team Championship.
Cam Smith, winner of the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022, is hoping to become the first Australian champion of the Dunhill Links, while Bubba Watson, a double Masters champion, would be the first American winner.
A celebration of Links golf at its finest, the Championship is staged from October 1–4 over three of the most famous Links courses in the world – the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
There will be a warm welcome for the return of England’s Lee Westwood, playing for the first time since 2019, when he had a hole-in-one at the 8th at Carnoustie.
Westwood will forever be remembered for one of the greatest moments in the history of the Championship, in 2003, when he struck a 4-iron second shot 218-yards at the par five 9th hole at Kingsbarns for an albatross two which set him up for a famous victory.
Lee said: “It seems a very long time ago now, but it’s still a wonderful memory. One of the highlights of my career. I’m looking forward to being back at the Dunhill Links for the first time in a while, and it will be fun playing the hole again.”
Already confirmed to play is defending champion Bob MacIntyre, who will be one of a strong group of talented Scottish golfers, including Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson and Calum Hill.
Also in the field is Tyrrell Hatton, bidding for his fourth Dunhill Links title. If he wins it would match the feats of Sir Nick Faldo, who won the PGA Championship on the European Tour four times, Severiano Ballesteros, who won the French Open four times, and Bernhard Langer, who had four victories in the German Masters.
They are joined by Padraig Harrington, twice winner in 2002 and 2006, who has played in every Dunhill Links since its creation in 2001, former US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, champion in 2023, his brother Alex Fitzpatrick and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
Also present will be popular English golfer Ian Poulter, famous for playing in seven European Ryder Cup teams and reaching No 5 in the world in 2010 after winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
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.
In recent years the amateurs have included Bill Murray, Andy Garcia, Jamie Dornan, Hugh Grant, Kathryn Newton, Ronan Keating, Huey Lewis, Tico Torres, Andy Murray, Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen.
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, visit: https://www.alfreddunhilllinks.com/tickets
