One of the most watched tournaments on the European Tour storms back onto our screens this week, as Scotland plays host to the eagerly anticipated Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The popular links tournament pits together professional players with amateurs, making the event a firm favourite with fans.
Tyrrell Hatton hoisted the trophy in 2016, while he combined with actor Jamie Dornan - aka Christian Grey from Fifty Shades - to win the Pro-Am competition, with the duo reuniting this time around as they bid to become the first ever back-to-back winners.
Other celebrities present in the 2017 event include Portuguese football legend Luis Figo, former Heavyweight Champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko, plus Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave.
Below we pluck out all the important information and talking points ahead of the showdown in Scotland.
Location, Course, Time And Channel
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played over four rounds at three different courses - St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns Golf Links - with the fourth and final round returning to the “home of golf” St Andrews after the field has been reduced after 54 holes to the leading 60 pros and the top 20 Pro-Am teams.
The professionals and their amatuer playing partners will team up for the tournament in two separate competitions: Individual stroke play and a Pro-Am competition.
The tournament will be screened live on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main event from 1pm, Thursday through to Saturday, while the final day’s action will be televised from 12.30pm.
Who Are The Favourites?
Rory McIlroy and father Gerry will team up once again at the Dunhill Links, which will be the Northern Irishman’s last event of the season. McIlroy heads up to Scotland as the hot 6/1 favourite to come out on top, following a runners-up finish at the British Masters last weekend.
Surely it’s only a matter of time until McIlroy get his mitts on the trophy, as he attempts to make it fourth-time lucky following three runners-up finishes at the event.
Irishman Shane Lowry is next in the running by some distance, at 20/1, while defending champion Hatton, who equalled the course record at St Andrews (62) last time out, is a tasty 20/1 to shot to lift the trophy for the second time in succession. The Englishman, 25, finished a tie for 8th at the British Masters last week, although he’d be disappointed he didn’t finish higher.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how he responds to criticism from Gary Evans....
Race to Dubai leader Tommy Fleetwood has a decent record in the tournament, with three top-5 finishes, and can be backed at 22/1 to finish top of the pile.
Other players to keep an eye on include Branden Grace, Matthew Fitzpatrick, British Masters victor Paul Dunne, and Martin Kaymer, who won back in 2010 (see tweet).
2011 - Hoey 🏆
2012 - Grace 🏆
2013 - Howell 🏆
2014 - Wilson 🏆
2015 - Olesen 🏆
2016 - Hatton 🏆
2017 - ?
England Looking For More Success
An Englishman has finished top of the pile in three of the last four years - Hatton (2016), Oliver Wilson (2014) and David Howell (2013) - and five times in the previous 10 tournaments.
Fleetwood is the 7/1 favourite in the Top Englishman market, followed by Chris Wood at 9/1, then 2003 champion Lee Westwood (teaming up with Ronan Keating) who is definitely worth a gander at 10/1.
Padraig Worth A Punt?
Padraig Harrington, winner of three majors, will no doubt prove to be a popular bet at a juicy 70/1 (Betfred) given his record at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, while he’s 9/1 to finish as the Top Irish Player.
The Irishman is the only player to win the tournament on two occasions, in 2002 and 2006, while he’s played in all 16 editions, and will no doubt be gunning to strike gold for the third time this week.
Harrington will once again pair up with fellow countryman and racehorse owner JP McManus, with the duo now aiming for the prized hat-trick.
