PREVIEW: 2024 DP World Tour – Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

This is one of the few weeks on the calendar where the DP World Tour is undoubtedly the primo destination for golfing enthusiasts. The tour has managed to assemble one of the strongest lineups in recent Dunhill Links memory (more on that later).

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

I’m always somewhat flabbergasted to discover that this event only started life as recently as 2001! It just feels so deeply engrained in the collective psyche of European golf. In any event, this is the only pro-am on the entire DP World Tour.

The pro-am teams will rotate between three iconic links courses for the first three rounds (St Andrews, Kingsbarnes and Carnoustie). A 54-hole cut will then see the top 20 teams teeing it up on the Old Course on Sunday.

The event often attracts pretty big celebrity names but can make for some soporific viewing (particularly during the first three days). Having said that, I’m a true links junkie and embrace any opportunity to see players coming to terms with the rustic challenges offered therein.

St Andrews

All three of this week’s host venues are traditional British links that are at the mercy of prevailing conditions. Carnoustie – affectionately known as Car-nasty – is one of the toughest tests of golf you are ever likely to play.

Kingsbarnes is the most gettable course, and players will need to score quite freely there to put themselves into a winning position.

And then you have the pièce de resistance of British links: St Andrews. The so-called home of golf, St Andrews always gives me such wonderful pangs of nostalgia.

This is an event that tends to reward familiarity and links specialists always manage to prosper. 11 of the last 12 winners have ranked inside the top ten for GIR, highlighting the importance of using the contours of the fairways and greens to maximize approach play.

The courses are set up in forgiving fashion and you can expect some really low scoring.

The Contenders

Jon Rahm leads the markets after an agonizing playoff defeat to little-known compatriot Angel Hildalgo at last week’s Open de Espana. The LIV Golf individual champ has some solid links form in the past and makes a compelling favourite.

Former Open champion and three-time Alfred Dunhill links runner-up Rory McIlroy has enjoyed yet another frustrating season, with that near-miss at Pinehurst No.2 appearing to break something inside the Northern Irish superstar. He is fresh off back-to-back runner-up finishes and could do with a resounding win to silence some of the naysayers.

Defending champ Matt Fitzpatrick will be back to defend his title while the pair of Tyrell Hatton and Padraig Harrington will be looking to become the first men to win three Dunhill titles.

Elsewhere, the likes of Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood jump off the page.

Wentworth champ Billy Horschel will also be in action in one of the deepest lineups in Dunhill history.

Past Winners

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-19)
2022: Ryan Fox (-15)
2021: Danny Willett (-18)
2020: event cancelled
2019: Victor Perez (-22)
2018: Lucas Bjerregard (-15)

To Win Outright:

Jon Rahm 11/2 | Rory McIlroy 13/2 | Tommy Fleetwood 10/1 | Tyrell Hatton 10/1 | Shane Lowry 18/1

Value Bets

Thriston Lawrence – To Win 33/1 | To Place 7/1

Thirston Lawrence looks like a strong dark horse pick to win this week. He lost to Horschel in a three-man playoff at Wentworth (McIlroy being the other protagonist).

He won on the Sunshine Tour last month, finished 2nd at the British Masters and he led the Open after 63 holes less than two months ago. He is perfectly suited for links golf, using that low fade off the tee to avoid blustery wind conditions.

Peter Uihlein – To Win 55/1 | To Place 12/1

This could be a great week for LIV practitioner Peeter Uihlein. The American finished runner-up in this event back in 2013 and he has managed finishes of 18th, 10th and 22nd since then.

He has finished 15th and 20th in his last two LIV starts. He stepped out onto the Asian Tour in August, thrashing Andy Sullivan by seven strokes to easily win in London. Uihlein won the US Amateur at Chamber’s Bay- a course very much inspired by the classical seaside links courses.

The Man to Beat – Rory McIlroy – To Win 13/2 | To Place 13/2

This could be the week where Rory unleashes his best golf. Let’s just take a step back and really look at what McIlroy has accomplished this season. He won the Dubai Desert Classic and Wells Fargo titles. He also went on to claim the Zurich title playing alongside Shane Lowry.

He came agonizingly close to winning the US Open and comes into this after back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship. Sure, the amount of near misses will play on his confidence.

But he is still playing some of the most consistent golf in the world and he will be looking to claim a maiden Dunhill Links title. He is a three-time runner-up here and he has six top-10 finishes in the Open Championship.