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

 

 

Matthew Fitzpatrick Wins the 2015 British Masters

After leading for a good portion of all four rounds, 21-year old Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick has won the 2015 British Masters at Woburn Golf Club with a score of 15-under and a two shot lead over Soren Kjeldsen, Shane Lowry, and Fabrizio Zanotti. This is his first European Tour win (it's also his rookie season on the European Tour) however the Sheffield-native is no stranger to doing well at "Masters" titled event, having finished second in the Omega European Masters earlier this year in Switzerland. He also takes home a prize of £500,000.

Things were getting close towards the end of the final round today, mostly between Fitzpatrick and Soren Kjeldsen, who at one point on the back nine needed a birdie to co-lead. Unfortunately a bogey by Soren on the 16th and two birdies and a bogey by Fitzpatrick sealed the deal for him. Chances were also had by Fabrizio Zanotti (who needed a hole out on the final hole from a greenside bunker to force a playoff) and Shane Lowry.

Woburn continued it's trend of not to easy, not to hard golf, with the average scoring range in the high 60's on the weekend. The low round today was a 65 shot by Tommy Fleetwood, who carded six birdies during his round today. In fact, Fleetwood didn't make a single bogey since his front nine yesterday and has carded a total of ten birdies since then. He finished with a score of 9-under T13.

Our picks this week also did very well. Luke Donald finished off the weekend by shooting a 65/69 and finished at T5, one of his best finishes of the year. Lee Westwood finished off just behind him at 8-under. And tournament host Ian Poulter finished off in a respectable T33, after many missed opportunities on his home course.

That wraps up our coverage this week. Next week, we'll be heading back over to the PGA Tour for the start of the 2015-2016 PGA Tour season at the Frys.com Open from Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. Stay tuned for our picks next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Matthew Fitzpatrick Wins the 2015 British Masters

Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After four rounds of play on Firestone Country Club's South Course, this year's edition of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational has concluded, with the winner being Shane Lowry. The Irishman finished with a final score of 11-under and a win by two shots over Bubba Watson. This is Lowry's first WGC win and first win in three years. He also takes home many World Golf Rankings points which will boost his ranking from 48th (as he stood when he entered the tournament) and has earned a PGA Tour card for three years.

Lowry shot a 66 for his final round today, which consisted of four birdies, including one on the final hole. However, he did run into trouble a few times today but recovered, or rather, "escaped" well. One incident involved a severely hooked tee shot, followed by a pitch over a tree, then a birdie putt. Another involved a bunker and a shot through a tree which led to his birdie on the 18th. He played solid golf all week and went low at times when many players could not. That was key to his success this week.

On a whole, the weekend rounds scored significantly better than the weekday rounds. Low scores were shot all around the South Course and the low round was a 63 shot by Justin Rose and Steven Bowditch. Saturday AKA Moving Day, really lived up to it's name as we saw a mish-mash on the leaderboard as the day progressed. Sunday's rounds were more toned down, but still full of exciting golf.

Our picks didn't finish off too well. Dustin Johnson shot a 75/76 on the weekend (in contrast with the theme of low scores on the weekend) to finish T53 at 7-over. Victor Dubuisson finished a shot ahead of Johnson. And Adam Scott finished a shot ahead of Dubuisson. TGR favourite Graeme McDowell did finish well however, at T17 (1-under). This is one of GMac's best finishes of the year, which is always a good sign.

Next week is the last major of the year, the PGA Championship, which will return to Whistling Straits for the first time since 2010. The storylines are already flowing, with Dustin Johnson being at the centre of them (remember how he would have won if it wasn't from a certain bunker?). That's all coming next week, so be sure to check out our daily coverage of the tournament next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Irishman Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational

Furyk Leads by Four Halfway Through WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After two rounds of play on Firestone's South Course, PGA Tour veteran Jim Furyk holds a four shot lead at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, going into the weekend. He sits at 8-under; behind him, a three-way tie for second between Irishman Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson, and our pick Dustin Johnson. There is also no cut this week since this is a WGC event.

The South Course wasn't giving up much in the form of low scores over the first two days and played tough. The scoring average of the field was probably around even par or just slightly less, but some low scores were found by some. Australia's Danny Lee shot a 65 in the opening round and our leader Jim Furyk shot back to back 66's. Jim's round today was back and forth, a real battle, consisting of seven birdies and three bogeys. The course today played a bit tougher than yesterday however, with more players shooting over par rounds than sub par rounds.

Another round of note was that of TGR favourite Graeme McDowell, who sits T5 at 3-under. GMac went 66/71 for his first two rounds but despite his higher score today, he admitted in his post-round interview that he still played great and is happy to be in the position he's in. This is the first time in quite a bit where GMac's been in contention. Best of luck to him this weekend.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing so far:

1) Adam Scott: T26 at 1-over
2) Dustin Johnson: T2 at 4-under
3) Victor Dubuisson: T34 at 2-over

Good considering the conditions. Scott opened with a 72 but came back with a 69 today. Johnson once again is showing us why he's the best golfer in the world who hasn't won in the past few months. He shot a 69/67 so far and always seems to be T5 or higher at some point in every tournament he plays in. Dubuisson started strong with a 68 but faltered slightly today with a 74 (which included three straight bogeys).

There's still lots of golf to be played, so anything can happen. Stay tuned Sunday evening for our Results post...


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Jim Furyk hold onto his lead for his second win this year?

Henrik Stenson Leads Going Into The Weekend At The DP World Tour Championship

Two rounds have now concluded at the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, the final event of this year's European Tour season. The leader going into the weekend is last year's winner Henrik Stenson, who's two rounds of 68 and 66 puts him at 10-under, with a two shot leader over the likes of Rory McIlroy, Richie Ramsay, and Danny Willett.

We're seeing some good golfing being played so far, but the heat of Dubai is making this no easy feat. In a post-round interview today, Stenson noted that he "felt like I hit the wall on 12 [hole]" and said he struggled to finish off his round, mentally and physically. Still, he finished well and is in a very good spot to win again, which would result in this being his first defended title in his playing career.

It may be hot but players are still shooting low scores on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with almost half of the field shooting sub-70 rounds today, more than yesterday, which I think is pretty good. The low round of both days was a 64, shot by Rafa Cabrera-Bello earlier today; he was actually on track to shoot a sub-60 round. Then again, we're are seeing the top European Tour players here this week.

In other news, Irishman Shane Lowry aced the 13th hole par 3 during his second round, which played at 206 yards. This is his first professional hole-in-one and only second in his career.

Finally, here is how our picks are doing:

1) Rory McIlroy: T2 at 8-under (-8)
2) Justin Rose: T5 at 7-under (-7)
3) Mikko Ilonen: 58 at 6-over (+6)

TGR favourites Graeme McDowell and Miguel Angel Jimenez are at 2-under and even par, respectively. 

It's no surprise to see Rory near the top of the leaderboard, especially when the European Tour stops in Dubai. His second round however was up and down, with two bogeys (one after a mis-hit hook) and four birdies, most occurring on the back nine. Justin Rose seems to have a habit of starting off his round bad, then coming back and doing well. In his first round, he was 4-over through 6 holes, but made six birdies and a bogey to finish at 1-under. Mikko Ilonen unfortunately isn't having his best week.

Stay tuned Sunday for our final post for the tournament and to see who won it,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Will Stenson be able to defend the DP World Tour Championship?

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

Rafael Jacquelin leads the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

2014 Wales Open Picks - Results

The 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor has concluded and the winner this year is Joost Luiten. The young Dutchman shot even par during his final round, but this was still good enough for a 14-under finish, and a one shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, the weekday leader. This is his fourth win on the European Tour and first in a little over a year; his last win being the KLM Open last year

Conditions during the final round were ideal for scoring. 6-under was the low score of the day and was shot by several players at the iconic 2010 Ryder Cup course.

The members of the European Ryder Cup that were playing this week had up and down finishes. Jamie Donaldson had an excellent finish at T4 which will sure make Captain Paul McGinley happy. On the other hand Lee Westwood and Thomas Bjorn finished lower on the leaderboard at T60 and T58, respectively.

Finally here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Thorbjorn Olesen: T32 at 5-under (-5)
2) Lee Westwood: T60 at 2-over (+2)
3) Peter Lawrie: T65 at 3-over (+3)

Not the best of finishes, but that's just more incentive to play better in upcoming tournaments.

As you know, the Ryder Cup is being played this week at Gleneagles, so we'll be covering that fully once it starts.

Also stay tuned for our coverage of one of our favourite European Tour events, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, in two weeks.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Joost Luiten Wins the 2014 Wales Open (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

2014 Wales Open Picks - Weekend Update

The weekday rounds of the 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor in Newport, UK are now over. The leader going into the weekend is Irishman Shane Lowry who shot a 68 65 during the week and holds the lead at 9-under (-9), a one shot lead over Joost Luiten and Nicolas Colsaerts. The cut has also been set at 2-over (+2).

Conditions were also good for scoring in the first two rounds, with the low round so far going to Eduardo Molinari, who shot a 63 earlier today. The decision to play the week before the Ryder Cup is paying off for Jamie Donaldson, who is currently T10. Jamie is clearly in good form, which I'm sure is good news to European captain Paul McGinley. Unfortunately, captain's pick Stephen Gallacher has not been playing his best golf this week (after having a spectacular last several weeks). He's currently T115 and shot a 78 70 but has been cut from the tournament.

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

1) Thorbjorn Olesen: T40 at 1-under (-1)
2) Lee Westwood: T55 at even par (E)
3) Peter Lawrie: T65 at 1-over (+1)


They're doing okay at it looks like Thornbjorn has the best chance at a possible win or good finish. Who knows though, Westwood and Lawrie could make a comeback, we'll have to wait and see.


Stay tuned to see who won the tournament come Sunday,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Shane Lowry leads the 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor (
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

2014 BMW PGA Championship Predictions - Results

The final round of the BMW PGA Championship has concluded and the winner is Irishman Rory McIlroy, who birdied the 18th hole to win with a one shot lead, 14-under (-14) over fellow Irishman Shane Lowry. Before the tournament started, McIlroy was in the news for calling off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Despite this however, he emerged victorious.

As for our picks, here is how each of them fared:

1) Lee Westwood - T35 at 1-under (-1)
2) Padraig Harrington T61 at 4-over (+4)
3) Alvaro Quiros T57 at 3-over (+3)

And our person of note, Miguel Angel Jimenez went T35 at 1-under (-1)

Stay tuned next week for more coverage of PGA/European Tour tournaments,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Rory McIlroy Wins the 2014 BMW PGA Championship

(Richard Heathcote - Getty Images)