(image: Sky Sports)
FIFE, SCOTLAND - After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the European Tour travels back to the home of golf in Fife, Scotland for the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
This is one of the tour's most prestigious tournaments on the schedule and a fan favourite without question. It is unique in the fact that it is a four-round pro-am split across the trifecta of links courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links.
It also boasts a $5 million USD prize fund and 5,500 Race to Dubai points for the winner, the most of the tournaments left on the tour schedule before the DP World Tour Championship in November.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY AND FORMAT
The tournament was first contested in 2001 as the Dunhill Links
Championship, making this year it's 20th anniversary. Its format is similar to its PGA Tour counterpart, the
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Professionals are paired up with
an amateur for the entire length of the tournament. Over the first three
rounds, groups will get the chance to play all three courses, with a
54-hole cut being made of the top-60 professionals and top-20 pro-am
teams. The final round is then played at the Old Course, where the
professional with the lowest 72-hole score is crowned the winner.
Likewise, the winner of the pro-am is the team with the lowest 72-hole
score.
Over the years, many celebrities and notable persons have had the chance
to play this illustrious tournament. This year, the amateur field
consists of singer/actor Justin Timberlake, footballer Luis Figo, boxer
Wladimir Klitschko and (naturally) Bill Murray, just to name a few.
Each course this week will test golfers in different ways. Carnoustie, site of the 2018 Open Championship and holder of the title "golf's greatest test", will play at 7,412 yards. Kingbarns will play at
7,150 yards and is the newest of the courses in the rotation. Lastly,
the iconic Old Course, with its enduring and prestigious history, will
measure 7,307 yards. The chance to play these courses in this format
truly is something special.
What is common between all the aforementioned courses is that they are
links courses, which is something that is quasi-rare on the European
Tour and even more so on the PGA Tour. This is something that has always bothered me about the professional tours, they don't play enough links
courses. In my opinion, a links course is the truest and purest form of a
golf course; it's where golf was meant to be played. Things are not perfect
on a links course; you are constantly at the mercy of the weather and
consistency amongst conditions is far from even. It forces a golfer
to think in different ways, look for different opportunities, play the
non-conventional shot, etc. All of this adds up to a unique golfing
experience, and with respect to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship,
an exciting tournament to watch; our favourite on the European Tour in fact.
JAVIER, SON OF LEGEND SEVE BALLESTEROS, IN FIELD THIS WEEK
Among the 138 professionals in the field this week is one Javier
Ballesteros, son of the late Seve Ballesteros. Javier is also a professional golfer who currently plays on the European Challenge Tour.
For Javier, the opportunity is truly special, as this will be his first time playing the Old Course, site of his father's 1984 British Open win, as a professional. This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of Seve's untimely death.
OUR PICKS THIS WEEK
Notables in the field this week include European Ryder Cup members Tommy Fleetwood, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry, as well as 2021 BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel. Tony Finau was also scheduled to play in the tournament but pulled out last minute due to a persisting health issue.
When making picks for this tournament, one needs to take into consideration a golfer's ability to play links golf. Not all professional golfers have the skills necessary to succeed on a links course. In addition, the event offers a large amount of Race to Dubai points, so players looking to get into the DP World Tour Championship at the end of the season will be looking for a good performance this week. Given all this, here are our picks for the winner this week.
1) Shane Lowry
2) Pablo Larrazabal
3) Billy Horschel
Lowry is a links golf veteran and coming off a hot week at the Ryder Cup last week. While still surely gutted with the defeat, we think he can carry over his skills to Fife this week. Larrazabal has been playing great golf on tour as of lately, including a T8 finish at the Italian Open. Lastly, Horschel is also playing great, finishing 7th at the Tour Championship (72 hole score) and his iconic win at the 2021 BMW PGA Championship. I believe he's fully embraced European golf and can do well this week. He's also playing with his father this week, as his amateur pairing.
Play kicks off very early Thursday morning. If you are interested in seeing a great display of links courses and what links golf really is, check out the coverage of this tournament. You won't be disappointed.
Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post to see the storylines and drama heading into the weekend,
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
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