Showing posts with label kingsbarn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kingsbarn. Show all posts

Friday, October 01, 2021

Tyrrell Hatton Regains Form, Leads 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Tyrrell Hatton regains form after disappointing Ryder Cup performance last week 
(image: David Cannon)
 
 
FIFE-SCOTLAND - Two rounds have been played at the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. As it stands heading into the weekend, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton leads with a score of 10-under and a single shot lead over Englishman Daniel Gavins.

As is tradition, a cut is not set at the tournament until the conclusion of the Saturday rounds, giving all players a chance to play the three courses at least once. The final round is then played at the Old Course at St. Andrews on Sunday.

 
HATTON REGAINS FORM AFTER RYDER CUP LULL
At the start of the week, Tyrrell Hatton would not have been in the best of moods. Just a week earlier at the Ryder Cup, his team was defeated in a dominant fashion, in a week that saw poor performances from much of Europe's best players, including Hatton.

But, this did not appear to have dampened Hatton's spirits.

The Englishman, who went 1-2-1, began his week at Carnoustie, where he shot an impressive 8-under 64, one shy of the course record held by Tommy Fleetwood. His round consisted of seven birdies, one eagle and one bogey, most of which occurred on the back nine, where he carded a 29. 

Friday saw Hatton traveling south to Kingsbarns, where he carded a 2-under 70, despite windy conditions.  

It is great to see Hatton performing well this week, given the self-admitted poor performance he had at the Ryder Cup. A win this week would be the bounce back he needs.

Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood has regained his form this week also. Fleetwood, who went 0-1-2 last week, currently sits at T5 with a score of 7-under, after carding a 66 at Kingsbarns and a 71 at Carnoustie.


WIND TAKES OVER CARNOUSTIE, KINGSBARNS AND ST ANDREWS ON FRIDAY
The gusting winds were the talk of the Friday rounds. All three courses saw higher winds speeds on Friday, compared to the previous day. 
 
The low round of the day was a 67 shot by our pick Shane Lowry, whereas the high round of the day was a 87 shot by Thomas Bjorn.
 
Being links courses, and especially ones of this caliber, wind plays a vital role in the difficult of the courses. Most will admit that links courses are benign unless the winds pick up. 
 
For the weekend, the winds are forecasted to stay in the 25km/h range, with gusts up to 45km/h on Saturday. Some light rain is also to be expected.


HOW ARE OUR PICKS DOING?
Let's take a look at our picks as they head into the weekend:

1) Shane Lowry: T7 at 6-under
2) Pablo Larrazabal: T100 at 2-over
3) Billy Horschel: T41 at 2-under

Lowry has continued his momentum roll from last week, and as we saw, when the conditions get tough, Lowry pulls though. Larrazabal will be disappointed this week, after shooting a 69 at Kingsbarns then a 77 at the Old Course. Horschel is in a less severe spot and can rally back with good weekend performance.

***

Things will be interesting heading into the weekend at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Who will battle through the elements and win? 
 
 
Stay tuned for our recap post to find out.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews


Wednesday, September 29, 2021

2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Preview

Shane Lowry is our top pick to win the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
 (image: Sky Sports)
 
FIFE, SCOTLAND - After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the European Tour travels back to the home of golf in Fife, Scotland for the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
 
This is one of the tour's most prestigious tournaments on the schedule and a fan favourite without question. It is unique in the fact that it is a four-round pro-am split across the trifecta of links courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links. 

It also boasts a $5 million USD prize fund and 5,500 Race to Dubai points for the winner, the most of the tournaments left on the tour schedule before the DP World Tour Championship in November.


TOURNAMENT HISTORY AND FORMAT
The tournament was first contested in 2001 as the Dunhill Links Championship, making this year it's 20th anniversary. Its format is similar to its PGA Tour counterpart, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Professionals are paired up with an amateur for the entire length of the tournament. Over the first three rounds, groups will get the chance to play all three courses, with a 54-hole cut being made of the top-60 professionals and top-20 pro-am teams. The final round is then played at the Old Course, where the professional with the lowest 72-hole score is crowned the winner. Likewise, the winner of the pro-am is the team with the lowest 72-hole score.

Over the years, many celebrities and notable persons have had the chance to play this illustrious tournament. This year, the amateur field consists of singer/actor Justin Timberlake, footballer Luis Figo, boxer Wladimir Klitschko and (naturally) Bill Murray, just to name a few. 

Each course this week will test golfers in different ways. Carnoustie, site of the 2018 Open Championship and holder of the title "golf's greatest test", will play at 7,412 yards. Kingbarns will play at 7,150 yards and is the newest of the courses in the rotation. Lastly, the iconic Old Course, with its enduring and prestigious history, will measure 7,307 yards. The chance to play these courses in this format truly is something special.

What is common between all the aforementioned courses is that they are links courses, which is something that is quasi-rare on the European Tour and even more so on the PGA Tour. This is something that has always bothered me about the professional tours, they don't play enough links courses. In my opinion, a links course is the truest and purest form of a golf course; it's where golf was meant to be played. Things are not perfect on a links course; you are constantly at the mercy of the weather and consistency amongst conditions is far from even. It forces a golfer to think in different ways, look for different opportunities, play the non-conventional shot, etc. All of this adds up to a unique golfing experience, and with respect to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, an exciting tournament to watch; our favourite on the European Tour in fact.


JAVIER, SON OF LEGEND SEVE BALLESTEROS, IN FIELD THIS WEEK
Among the 138 professionals in the field this week is one Javier Ballesteros, son of the late Seve Ballesteros. Javier is also a professional golfer who currently plays on the European Challenge Tour. 
 
For Javier, the opportunity is truly special, as this will be his first time playing the Old Course, site of his father's 1984 British Open win, as a professional. This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of Seve's untimely death.
 
 
OUR PICKS THIS WEEK
Notables in the field this week include European Ryder Cup members Tommy Fleetwood, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry, as well as 2021 BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel. Tony Finau was also scheduled to play in the tournament but pulled out last minute due to a persisting health issue. 

When making picks for this tournament, one needs to take into consideration a golfer's ability to play links golf. Not all professional golfers have the skills necessary to succeed on a links course. In addition, the event offers a large amount of Race to Dubai points, so players looking to get into the DP World Tour Championship at the end of the season will be looking for a good performance this week. Given all this, here are our picks for the winner this week. 

1) Shane Lowry
2) Pablo Larrazabal
3) Billy Horschel 

Lowry is a links golf veteran and coming off a hot week at the Ryder Cup last week. While still surely gutted with the defeat, we think he can carry over his skills to Fife this week. Larrazabal has been playing great golf on tour as of lately, including a T8 finish at the Italian Open. Lastly, Horschel is also playing great, finishing 7th at the Tour Championship (72 hole score) and his iconic win at the 2021 BMW PGA Championship. I believe he's fully embraced European golf and can do well this week. He's also playing with his father this week, as his amateur pairing.
 
Play kicks off very early Thursday morning. If you are interested in seeing a great display of links courses and what links golf really is, check out the coverage of this tournament. You won't be disappointed. 
 
 
Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post to see the storylines and drama heading into the weekend,
 
 
-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews
 
 

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Showdown at St. Andrews: Perez emerges victorious over Southgate at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Sunday at St. Andrews, there is perhaps no better setting for the conclusion of a golf tournament. This year, the Old Course would end up playing host to a dramatic battle between Frenchman and European Tour rookie Victor Perez and Englishman Matthew Southgate, with Perez emerging on top, capturing the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. 

The two golfers finished their third rounds tied for the lead at 20-under. Both had played the Old Course relatively well over their first three rounds: Perez on Thursday, shooting a 64 and Southgate on Saturday, shooting a 65. The stage was set for an unlikely showdown between the two golfers.

Perhaps it wasn't the showdown we wanted, but looking deeper into these two golfers, it was certainly a showdown we could have expected. You see, despite being relatively new to the European Tour, both golfers had connections to links golf. Perez, in his rookie year, had been living in nearby Dundee for the past 18 months, no doubt honing his game on the many links courses in the area. Southgate, in his fourth year on tour, was no stranger to competition at the Old Course. In 2010, as an amateur he won the St. Andrews Link Trophy. He is also a member at Carnoustie. These connections would prove to be invaluable to both golfers.

With the stage set, the two golfers began their final round on a cold and windy Old Course. It was Southgate who would take the lead at the turn. Despite bogeying the first hole, he rallied back, birdieing holes 5-7 and 9; good enough for a one shot lead over Perez. His lead would grow to two shots after a three-putt bogey by Perez on the 11th hole. But Perez persisted; a birdie on the 14th hole and a bogey by Southgate evened out the score. 

Then came the infamous par 4 17th hole "The Road Hole". Perez placed his second shot safely onto the green after hitting the fairway with his opening drive. Southgate, on the other hand, drove his tee shot further but into the rough, resulting in a poor second shot that landed on the green, but much further away. A two-putt by Perez and three-putt by Southgate separated the two and pars on the last hole by both resulted in Perez winning the tournament by a single shot.

For Perez, the win is career defining (thus far) and his first on the European Tour. It is also most certainly the highlight of his 2019 season, having just one top-10 finish this year: the Hong Kong Open, which was also his first European Tour tournament. On top of the $800,000 in prize money, the Challenge Tour graduate will move into the top-70 of the World Golf Rankings and top-20 on the European Tour money list. He is also the first Frenchman to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

On his win, Perez stated. "The emotions were really high all day. It was really cold and windy, a long day out there and I felt I was able to battle. It wasn't easy, Matt played amazing. I was expecting some of the guys to charge and we were fortunate that it was kind of a one on one battle on the back nine. There's nothing like a win. The confidence that you get from getting it done, it's so difficult at this level to win. Being my first year, I'm obviously delighted."

On the pro-am side of the tournament, it came down to Tommy Fleetwood, who was paired with horseracing executive Ogden Phipps II and Rory McIlroy, who was playing with his father Gerry McIlroy. Both teams played extraordinarily well and finished at 39-under over. Interestingly enough though, the tie was not settled with a playoff, as is the case in most tournaments. Instead, the team whose pro finished with the lower final round score wins, being Fleetwood in this case with a 64 over McIlroy's 67.

As always, we finish up our coverage with our picks results, which for the most part, were relatively good:

1) Rafa Cabrera Bello: T61 at 8-under
2) Alex Noren: T15 at 17-under
3) Tom Lewis: T5 at 19-under

I said it at the start of the week, the winner of this tournament was going to be a golfer who had a history with links courses and it turns out that could have equally have been Perez or Southgate. Our dark horse pick Tom Lewis had an excellent week, in particular shooting a 65 at Kingsbarn and 64 at the Old Course over the weekend. Noren also played well but did have reoccurring trouble on the Road Hole. Cabrera-Bello unfortunately missed the cut.

Overall, like so many editions before it, the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship did not disappoint. We saw it all this week, excellent golf from the world's best golfers, a collection of perhaps the finest links courses in the world, and of course dramatic storylines. These are just a few reasons why I'll be watching this tournament again and again every year.

Congratulations once again to Victor Perez. Who did you think was going to win? Let us know in the comments below,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews



https://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/showdown-st-andrews-perez-dunhill-links.html
France's Victor Perez wins the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
(Getty Images)

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Preview

This week, the European Tour travels back to St Andrews, Scotland, the home of golf, for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The prestigious tournament is iconic for its star-studded pro-am and is considered by many as a jewel of the European Tour. It is also unique in the fact that it is contested over three courses: the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links.

The tournament was first contested in 2001 as the Dunhill Links Championship and its format is similar to its PGA Tour counterpart, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Professionals are paired up with an amateur for the entire length of the tournament. Over the first three rounds, groups will get the chance to play all three courses, with a 54-hole cut being made of the top-60 professionals and top-20 pro-am teams. The final round is then played at the Old Course, where the professional with the lowest 72-hole score is crowned the winner. Likewise, the winner of the pro-am is the team with the lowest 72-hole score.

Over the years, many celebrities and notable persons have had the chance to play this illustrious tournament. This year, the amateur field consists of singer/actor Justin Timberlake, footballer Luis Figo, boxer Wladimir Klitschko and (naturally) Bill Murray, just to name a few. 

Each course this week will test golfers in different ways. Fresh off its hosting of the 2018 Open Championship, Carnoustie, also known as "golf's greatest test", will play at 7,412 yards. Kingbarns will play at 7,150 yards and is the newest of the courses in the rotation. Lastly, the iconic Old Course, with its enduring and prestigious history, will measure 7,307 yards. The chance to play these courses in this format truly is something special.

What is common between all the aforementioned courses is that they are links courses, which is something that is quasi-rare on the European Tour and even more so on the PGA Tour. This is something that has always bugged me about the professional tours, they don't play enough links courses. In my opinion, a links course is the truest and purest form of a golf course; where golf was meant to be played. Things are not perfect on a links course; you are constantly at the mercy of the weather and consistency amongst conditions is far from constant. It forces a golfer to think in different ways, look for different opportunities, play the non-conventional shot, etc. All of this adds up to a unique golfing experience, and with respect to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, an exciting tournament to watch.

The professional field this week is packed with European Tour royalty in addition to the top players of the world. It's always tough to make picks for this tournament, but this year I've decided to base our picks off of recent performance and performance on links courses:

1) Rafa Cabrera Bello
2) Alex Noren
3) Tom Lewis

Cabrera Bello is our top pick this week. He's coming into the tournament off a T6 finish last week at the BMW PGA Championship and T9 and T6 performances at the Scottish and Irish Opens earlier this year, respectively. Noren also performed well last week, finishing T28. He also finished T11 at the Open Championship earlier this year at Royal Portrush. Tom Lewis is our dark horse pick, but did have a good finish at the Open Championship this year, at T11. He also won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the final tournament of the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Web.com Tour).

Play kicks off early Thursday morning and is sure to be full of excitement and great golf. Be sure to check it out!


And let us know in the comments below who you think will win this year,



-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews 


https://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019-alfred-dunhill-links-championship.html
Rafa Cabrera Bello is our top pick this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
(Getty Images)

Friday, October 02, 2015

Mullen and Wall Co-Lead at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Halfway through this year's edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (being played cross-course at Kingsbarn, Carnoustie, and the Old Course at St. Andrews), both Jimmy Mullen and Anthony Wall co-lead with a score of 11-under. Behind them, a log jam of players, including Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson, new professional Paul Dunne (who first made headlines at this year's Open Championship, where he led a portion of it), etc. The cut will be set tomorrow, giving all players a chance to play each course once.

Jimmy Mullen is making his debut as a professional golfer this week, and doing it in good style. The young golfer is from Devon, UK (affiliated with Royal North Devon Golf Club) and had a good amateur career. He played on this year's Walker Cup team, along with Paul Dunne. This week, he shot a 64 at Kingsbarn and a 67 at St. Andrews today. His opening round consisted of seven birdies, an eagle, and just one bogey.

On the other hand, Anthony Wall has been playing on the European Tour for twenty years. He's one once during his professional career, ironically the 2000 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa (a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and Sunshine Tour), with several 2nd place finishes over the years. He also has a T12 finish at this year's Open Championship. Wall played the same courses as Mullen and shot a 65/68.

Those who watched the Open Championship this year at St. Andrews will surely remember the then-amateur Paul Dunne. He co-lead the tournament after the first three rounds, becoming the first amateur since 1927 to do so. He also makes his professional debut this week and shot a 64/70 at the same course as Mullen and Wall. He also made a hole-in-one on the 15th at Kingsbarn.

On the pro-am side of things, Rafael-Cabrera Bello (partnered with businessman Dermont Desmond) and Jared Harvey (partnered with businessmanMichael Zamkow) lead with a score of 19-under over Jimmy Mullen and businessman Miguel Duenas.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing,

1) Tommy Fleetwood: T52 at 3-under
2) Graeme McDowell: T13 at 7-under
3) Danny Willett: T66 at 2-under

Good scores from GMac, who hasn't had the best season so far. Remember that the cut will be set tomorrow, with the final round of the tournament being played on Sunday at St. Andrews. Stay tuned for our results post to see who's won.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/mullen-and-wall-co-lead-at-alfred.html
New pro Jimmy Mullen could win his first tournament as a pro this week

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Picks

One of the European Tour's most exciting events starts tomorrow. We are of course talking about the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tournament is probably the most unique event on the European Tour and is personally one of my favourites to watch every year.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was first played in played in 2001. What makes this tournament so different from others? Firstly, it's played at three separate courses over the first three of four days of the event; Kingsbarn Golf Links, Carnoustie Golf Links, and the Old Course at St. Andrews, with all Sunday rounds being played at St. Andrews. Over the course of the tournament, players travel from course to course to play their round for the day. You'll also notice that these courses are all in links-style, which always makes for a much more interesting round of golf.

This tournament is also a pro-am (similar to the AT&T National Pro-Am) meaning that amateur golfers (usually celebrities or persons of note) get the chance to play on a team with professional golfers. Thus there are two parts to this tournament, the individual (professional) part, which is just like a normal professional tournament where the lowest combined 4-day score wins with a monetary reward (one of the largest on the European Tour). The last part is the pro-am portion where a single amateur is paired with a single pro, and the pro-am duo with the lowest score wins this portion of the tournament. Both parts are played consecutively and both the pro and the amateur travel from course to course.

Lastly, this tournament is special since half of it is played at the Old Course at St. Andrews, the physical home of golf. It's filled with so much history and the course itself is such an icon in the golfing world. We saw a bit of what the Old Course has to offer earlier this year at the British Open, but this time around conditions will be cooler. However, the weather and thus the course will probably still be unpredictable as per usual.

Some notables in the field this week are: John Daly, Erik Compton, Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clark, and TGR favourite Graeme McDowell. Will one of them win, who knows, but here are our picks this week:

1) Tommy Fleetwood
2) Graeme McDowell
3) Danny Willett

Play starts very early tomorrow morning on all courses. Be sure to check out our Weekend Update post Friday evening to see who's leading.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-alfred-dunhill-links-championship.html
 Graeme McDowell is winless in 2015 thus far, could that change this week?

Sunday, October 05, 2014

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Results

The four rounds have now concluded at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which was played at Old Course as St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarn, in Scotland. The winner this year is Oliver Wilson, with a score of 17-under (-17) and a one shot lead over the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Richie Ramsie. This is Wilson's first European Tour win in over 220 European Tour events, nine of which he has finished in a runner up position. The cut this year was set at 3-under (after three days of play instead of the usual two).

Conditions at the Old Course were very benign on the weekend, with scores of 62 being shot by Louis Oosthuizen and Tommy Fleetwood. Kingsbarn and Carnoustie were also benign as well. On Saturday, Player of the Year Rory McIlroy was on track to shoot the lowest score of his professional career, but ended up faltering slightly during his final round (many would say due to fatigue). On Sunday, only the Old Course was being played, as per Alfred Dunhill Links Championship tradition.

On the Pro-Am side of things, Peter Lawrie and Kieran McManus were the winners, with a score of 37-under (-37). The cut for the pro-am event was also set for the top-20 pro-am teams.

As for the Ryder Cup members playing this week, Stephen Gallacher and Captain Paul McGinley both had good finishes, as T32 and T42. Good to see both of them playing well.

As for our picks (Victor Dubuisson, Martin Kaymer, and Simon Dyson), all of the were cut. Hopefully they'll play better in the next few events.

Congratulations once again to Oliver Wilson, a well deserved win! Stay tuned for more European Tour coverage,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dumhill-links-championship-results.html
Oliver Wilson finally wins on the European Tour

Friday, October 03, 2014

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Weekend Update

The weekday rounds have now concluded at this year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is being played at Carnoustie, Kingsbarn, and the Old Course at St. Andrews. The leader going into the weekend is Frenchman Rafael Jacquelin who holds the leader at 9-under (-9), with a one shot lead over the likes of Shane Lowry, Ryder Cup vice captain Padraig Harrington, and more. Rafael shot a 7-under 65 at Kingsbarn and a 2-under 70 at Carnoustie over the two days.

It seems like out of the three courses being played, Kingsbarn is playing the easiest. So far, we've seen many low scores coming from here including a 64 shot by Oliver Wilson. However since each course plays and scores differently, come Sunday morning we could see a different looking leaderboard.

We're also seeing some good rounds from last week's Ryder Cup players. Stephen Gallacher seems to be playing very well in front of his home (Scottish) crowd. He's currently T9 at 6-under (-6) after shooting a 68 70 at Kingsbarn and Carnoustie, respectively. Padraig Harrington is also doing really well, as mentioned above. Even the Captain himself, Paul McGinley isn't doing too bad at T40.

On the pro-am side of things, Peter Lawrie and Kieran McManus (son on Irish businessman JP  McManus) lead with a score of 20-under. They have a two shot lead over Gregory Bourdy/Andrew White and George Coetzee/Rurik Gobel.

As for our picks, here is how they are doing:

1) Victor Dubuisson: T20 at 4-under (-4)
2) Martin Kaymer: T110 at 2-over (+2)
3) Simon Dyson: T79 at even par (E)


No surprises here from Dubuisson, who knows, he might make a run come the weekend rounds.


The day to watch will be Sunday, where all players will be playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, which will be filled with good golf for sure. Stay tuned for our post on Sunday, recapping the weekend rounds and who the winner is.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews


http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dunhill-links-championship-weekend.html
Rafael Jacquelin leads the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Picks

One of the most exciting European Tour events is set to start tomorrow. We are of course talking about the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tournament is unlike any other tournament on the European Tour and is personally one of my favourites to watch every year.

What makes this tournament so different? Well to start, it's played at three separate courses over the course of the four day event; Kingsbarn Golf Links, Carnoustie Golf Links, and the Old Course at St. Andrews, with all Sunday rounds being played at St. Andrews. Over the course of the tournament, players travel from course to course to play their round for the day. You'll also notice that these courses are all in links-style, which always makes for a much more interesting round of golf.

This tournament is also a pro-am (similar to the AT&T National Pro-Am) meaning that amateur golfers (usually celebrities or persons of note) get the chance to play on a team with professional golfers. Thus there are two parts to this tournament, the individual (professional) part, which is just like a normal professional tournament where the lowest combined 4-day score wins with a monetary reward (one of the largest on the European Tour). The last part is the pro-am portion where a single amateur is paired with a single pro, and the pro-am duo with the lowest score wins this portion of the tournament. Both parts are played consecutively and both the pro and the amateur travel from course to course.

Lastly, this tournament is special since part of it is played at the Old Course at St. Andrews, the physical home of golf. It's filled with so much history and the course itself is such an icon in the golfing world. In fact, the British Open will be returning to St. Andrews in 2015; it was last held there in 2010.

There will also be several Ryder Cup members playing this tournament as well, including European Captain Paul McGinley. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Stephen Gallacher, Martin Kaymer, Vice-Captain Padraig Harrington, Victor Dubuisson, as well as Ryder Cup Royalty Colin Montgomerie and Sir Nick Faldo.

Given that, here is who we think will win the individual part of the tournament:

1) Victor Dubuisson
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Simon Dyson

It's risky choosing Kaymer and Dubuisson. They might still be on a high from winning the Ryder Cup (hopefully this means better golf), or they'll be drained from it. We'll have to wait and see...

Stay tuned for our weekend update of the tournament on Friday,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dunhill-links-championship-picks.html
The famous 700-year old Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course at St. Andrews