Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: TV Times, Betting Tips
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Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: TV Times, Betting Tips
Following Danny Willett’s three-stroke victory over the field at Wentworth last week, the European Tour heads to the Home of Golf for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
It’s a week unlike any other on the European Tour, with two trophies up for grabs as players pair up with an amateur (often celebrity) partner for the pro-am event that runs alongside the professional tournament. Each team plays one round at the Old Course (St Andrews), Carnoustie and Kingsbarns over the first three days before the field is cut to 60 players and ties, and the leading 20 teams, for the final round in St Andrews.
The field is headlined by Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and last week’s runner-up Jon Rahm, who is not only making his Dunhill Links debut this week but also playing at The Old Course for the very first time.
Also in the strong field this week are last week’s winner Danny Willett, as well as Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Alex Noren and Open Champion Shane Lowry.
Notable Celebrity to look out for this week include Justin Timberlake, Billy Murray, Luis Figo, Wladimir Klitschko, Ronan Keating, Shane Warne, Brian McFadden, Kevin Pietersen, Jamie Redknapp, Sir Steve Redgrave, Brad Simpson, Vinnie Jones.
Dates: 26-29 September
Courses: Old Course (St. Andrews), Kingsbarns, Carnoustie
Prize Fund: $5,000,000
Race to Dubai Points: 5,500
Defending Champion: Lucas Bjerregaard
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: TV Times
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf (13:00)
Friday: Sky Sports Golf (13:00), Sky Sports Main Event (14:50)
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf (13:00)
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf (12:30)
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Betting Tips
Rory McIlroy: 5/1
McIlroy rallied well at the BMW, recovering from a disappointing first round 76 (+4) to finish in a tie for 9th at 11-under, recording his fifth top 10 in his last six starts, including his victory at the Tour Championship. Three time runner-up around these three links courses, and was T2 at the Open at Carnoustie last year. Ranks 1st scoring average on both the European and PGA Tour, as well as 1st for both SG: Off the tee and SG: Tee to green on the PGA Tour, and 2nd for birdie average.
Jon Rahm: 13/2
Rahm began the final round tied at the top with Danny Willett but had to settle for second place, which was his seventh top 10 in nine starts. He’s playing The Old Course at St Andrews for the very first time this week, and although he missed the cut at Carnoustie last year, proved he can play links courses thanks to his second Irish Open win back in June. Ranks 2nd for both scoring average and birdies on the European Tour.
Justin Rose: 11/1
Having pulled out of the Pro-am because of injury, Rose went on to finish in eighth place at Wentworth, which was his first start since a T26 at the Tour Championship. Teeing up in this event for the first time since his T66 in 2008 (best of 2nd in 2007), but he was the runner-up at Carnoustie last year, and T6 the last time he played the Open at St Andrews in 2015. Ranks 10th scoring average, 17th SG: Putting and 21st SG: Approach on the PGA Tour.
Tommy Fleetwood: 16/1
He didn’t have a particularly good week last week at Wentworth (T60), but Fleetwood finished T8 at the Omega European Masters before that, which followed on from a T13 at the Tour Championship and T11 at the BMW Championship. T2-T25-T15-T13-5 in his last five starts in this event, and set the course record at Carnoustie – a 63 – two years ago. Ranks 9th scoring average and SG: Off the tee, 10th SG: Tee to green and 25th SG: Approach on the European Tour this season.
Shane Lowry: 20/1
Lowry missed the cut last year for just the second time but has also has two top 10s and two top 20s over ten appearances in this tournament. Finished T11 last week, which was his best result since claiming his maiden major title at The Open. Ranks 2nd SG: Approach, 3rd for Scoring average, 4th for both birdies and SG: Tee to green, and 5th for Putts per round.
Tony Finau: 20/1
Followed back-to-back top 10s in the final two events of the PGA Tour season with a T57 at Wentworth, struggling over the weekend after an excellent start. He made his debut here last year and finished T10. Ranks 15th scoring average on the PGA Tour.
Bernd Wiesberger: 28/1
Weisberger comes in to this event after a T5 at the Porsche European Open and T17 at the BMW PGA Championship. He won the Scottish Open earlier this year – his second win of the season – and has a great record here: T7 the last time he played here in ’16, T4 in 2015, and had two consecutive top 15s before that. Ranks 4th GIR, 18th SG: Approach the green and 25th for both SG: Tee to green on the European Tour.
Rafa Cabrera Bello: 28/1
Cabrera Bello was T6 at the BMW PGA Championship last week, having finished T63 at the BMW Championship and T12 at the WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational. Top 10s at both Irish and Scottish Open this year, and was T31 in his last start here in 2016. This season on the European Tour ranks 5th Scoring average, 6th SG: Around the green, 8th Birdies, 19th SG: Tee to green and 34th SG: Off the tee.
Matthias Schwab: 45/1
After three consecutive top 10s on the European Tour Schwab recovered from a second round 75 at Wentworth to finish T28. He was also T10 on his debut in this event last year. Ranks 9th SG: Around the green, 16th GIR, 20th SG: Tee to green and 27th Scoring average.
Andrea Pavan: 50/1
Pavan claimed the BMW International Open earlier in the season and had gone on a run of T3-T16-T12 before his T46 at last week’s BMW PGA Championship. This week is a very different challenge and he proved he plays well in Scotland, having recorded a T5 finish here in 2018, and a T4 at the Scottish Open earlier this year. Ranks 14th GIR and 32nd SG: Approach the green on the European Tour this season.
Andrew Johston: 66/1
Johnston is having something of a resurgence in form, recording his third top 10 (T9) in his last five starts last week at Wentworth, following a T4 at the Scottish Open and T10 in Sweden. His odds would be lower if not for a lacklustre performance in previous editions of this event, having last teed up in 2016 and finishing T63, the best of three results (the other two being MC’s). Ranks 14th SG: Tee to green, 17th GIR, 20th Scoring average and 24th SG: Around the green.
