Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 03 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

St Andrew's plays host to the Dunhill Links Championship - when movie stars appear on the European Tour...

The home of golf is the venue for this week's star-studded European Tour event. Anytime a tournament is played on the hallowed links of St Andrews there is a buzz in the air, a sense of something great about to happen. With only 6 previous runnings, the Dunhill Links Championship is relatively new, but it already has the feeling of a long-established tournament.

The aura around the event is boosted somewhat by the Pro-Am format, and in no small amount by the fact that many of the amateurs on show are celebrities from around the globe. A galaxy of stars turn up to play alongside the best golfers in the world, and more than just a few of them have their eyes on the much-coveted Pro-Am trophy.

It pays to remember that this is a top-class tournament, and any player who gets caught up in the razzamatazz of the occasion will soon find himself out of contention for the title. Although it may be fun to play a few rounds with the likes of Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson or Sir Ian Botham, it certainly isn't conducive to securing a big win.

For the first three rounds before the cut, play rotates around three courses situated on the east coast of Scotland - St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. The championship is then played to a conclusion at St. Andrews. The betting strategy here is to go for aggressive players who like nothing more than to shoot directly at the flags. The event organisers have to be relatively lenient with the pin placements to be fair to the amateur participants. Unsurprisingly, the pros' eyes light up at this potential birdie fest and you can expect to see plenty of low scoring.

With this in mind, the first player to back is Paul Casey. One of the most attacking players on tour, he will relish the set-up of these links courses. His price has drifted in recent weeks due to some scrappy form, and this is the time to take advantage. At around 30's he is a must to back, and if you are keen to trade out of your position should Casey make a good start, you can be sure that his price will come in dramatically as layers fear he has returned to his best form.

As a form guide, last week's Seve Trophy shouldn't be taken too seriously, but one man who was in great shape was Simon Dyson. He was very impressive all week and will come into this tournament full of confidence. Get on as early as you can as the 80's currently on offer seems too big a price for a player of his calibre.

Stateside the players are teeing it up in the Valero Texas Open. It is a sub-standard field for a PGA Tour event, but certainly not without interest. The short La Cantera course measures less than 7,000 yards, and although it only has two par fives, low scoring is the norm and only those posting scores well under par will be in the mix come Sunday. Amazingly, the last four winners of this event have all started at odds of at least 200!

Though clearly an event for surprises in recent years, I think this time round will see a stronger showing from the market leaders. It is not often you get a dual winner on tour appearing in a weak field starting at 20's, but Steve Flesch is such a man, and he has all the credentials needed to come out on top. As well as being a two-time winner this season he has two top 15 finishes here in the last four years, and is well known as a man who likes birdie courses. I fully expect Flesch to become only the third player this year to collect three PGA Tour titles.

The focus of the media attention will be on the Dunhill Links this week and it's easy to see why. With the spotlight on an array of stars it will be entertaining to see how the pros deal with some of the quirkier celebrities. Ross Fisher for example, teamed with the ever wacky Bill Murray will have his work cut out. A successful pro-am team must speak the same language. With Fisher talking golf and Murray comedy, they could find the tournament Lost in Translation.

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