Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024: Course and current form stats

• Fifteen of 22 Dunhill champions either British or Irish

• Strong contingent from LIV Tour

• Wallace 35/136.00 & Noren 30/131.00 strong each-way options

Tournament Notes

• A truly international field has arrived in Scotland for this popular autumn pro-am event which is contested over three east coast links. First played in 2001, the tournament will once again be hosted by the Old Course at St Andrews, along with the iconic links of Carnoustie and Kingsbarns;

• On days one to three, the 168 professionals and their amateur partners will play 18 holes at each course. On Saturday evening, when 54 holes have been completed, the leading 60 pros and ties qualify for the final round which takes place at the Old Course. The leading 20 pro-am teams are also involved on judgement day.

Course Notes

• All three layouts are traditional British links but while Kingsbarns is relatively young (only opened in 2000), the Old Course dates back to the days when golf was first invented;

• The three courses vary in character. The Old Course has large undulating greens, wide fairways and little rough, while Carnoustie is a much trickier affair with tighter fairways and more penal hazards. Carnoustie usually proves to be the most difficult of the three venues for pros and amateurs alike;

• Kingsbarns, meanwhile, has large greens and generous fairways and, over the years, has tended to yield a higher stroke average than the Old Course. All three venues, because of their links' nature, become much more difficult in windy conditions;

• With all three layouts set up to accommodate amateur golfers, the putting surfaces are usually not as fast or as tricky as in professional-only events. Fifteen of the tournament's 22 winners have been either British or Irish, with just two non-Europeans among this group.

Click here for latest betting on this week's ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

Good Current Form

Some big names are in action on Scotland's east coast this week, including a handful of pros from the Saudi-backed LIV Tour.

Two of these are Jon Rahm 6/17.00 and Brooks Koepka 20/121.00, both of whom enjoyed good seasons on the 'rebel' tour.

Rahm topped the LIV standings in 2024, while Koepka finished fifth.

Both of these pros won twice this year, with Koepka making his fifth appearance in this event. His last three starts in the Pro-Am have yielded finishes of 9-2-7.

Rahm arrives in the UK following Sunday's play-off loss at the Spanish Open in Madrid.

Two non-LIV golfers taking part are the consistent Tommy Fleetwood 12/113.00 and Shane Lowry 22/123.00.

Both players certainly know how to compete on links courses, and both are in good current form too.

Because of a stronger-than-normal field for the Pro-Am, it's difficult to see an outsider winning this week.

One pro who is currently ranked outside the top 60, but is playing well and has a previous top-10 in the Pro-Am is Matt Wallace 35/136.00.

The Englishman was sixth here last year and was a winner in Switzerland just a few weeks ago.

Good Course Form

Another LIV member is Tyrrell Hatton 11/112.00, who is a two-time champion in this event, while also posting a brace of runner-up finishes.

Hatton ended the recent LIV season ranked fourth. His results in 2024 included a victory and five other top-five finishes.

Finally, Alex Noren 30/131.00 might be worth a shout this week, especially each-way.

He has twice stood on the Pro-Am podium and, at No 48 in the world, has had a solid year on the PGA Tour where he qualified for the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup Play-Offs.

Betfair Sportsbook

Stroke Averages

Lowest 12 in Links Pro-Am (2017-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.90: Tyrrell Hatton (20)
68.50: Alex Noren (12)
69.04: Tommy Fleetwood (23)
69.11: Matt Fitzpatrick (18)
69.18: Danny Willett (11)
69.33: Rory McIlroy (12)
69.45: Billy Horschel (11)
69.60: Antoine Rozner (10)
69.64: Robert MacIntyre (14)
69.67: Matt Wallace (18)
69.70: Eddie Pepperell (23)
69.71: Adri Arnaus (14)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves

Click here for latest betting on this week's ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP