The DP World Tour returns to Scotland’s golfing heartland as stars of sport and screen join the pros for four days of links drama at St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns.
The DP World Tour’s autumn swing hits one of its most iconic stops this week, as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship returns to the east coast of Scotland. Few events on the calendar blend serious championship golf with celebrity sparkle quite like this one, with some of the world’s best pros teeing it up alongside actors, athletes, and business icons who compete in the pro-am Team Championship.
Played across the legendary trio of St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns, the main tournament is often as much about surviving the elements as it is about scoring. Early October in Scotland usually means brisk winds, heavy jumpers, umbrellas, and plenty of patience. But it also means breathtaking golf on some of the most storied links courses in the world.
Tyrrell Hatton arrives as the defending champion after a dazzling display last year, when he stormed to victory at the Old Course for a record-tying third Dunhill title. But with a star-studded field assembling and Race to Dubai points up for grabs, the Englishman will face stiff competition as the season’s climax draws nearer. Especially if he celebrated winning the Ryder Cup in anywhere near the same fashion as he celebrated qualifying for it.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship key details
Dates: October 2–5
Venue: Across three iconic links courses – St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns – with the final round at the Old Course (Par 72 – 7,318 yards)
Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 54-hole cut
Purse: $5 million, with the winner receiving $900,000
Race to Dubai points: 5,000
Favorites: Tommy Fleetwood 6/1, Tyrrell Hatton 17/2, Matt Fitzpatrick 17/2
Defending champion: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), -24
How to watch the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
US viewers can catch all the action on the Golf Channel.
All times EDT
Thursday, October 2: The Golf Channel, 7:00 am
Friday, October 3: The Golf Channel, 7:00 am
Saturday, October 4: The Golf Channel, 7:00 am
Sunday, October 5: The Golf Channel, 6:30 am
UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.
All times BST
Thursday, October 2: Sky Sports Golf, 12:00 pm
Friday, October 3: Sky Sports Golf, 12:00 pm
Saturday, October 4: Sky Sports Golf, 12:00 pm
Sunday, October 5: Sky Sports Golf, 11:30 am
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship tee times
Tee times for the Alfred Dunhill Championship can be found here.
2025 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship betting tipsThe Banker: Tyrrell Hatton 14/1 e/w (Bet365 3 Places)
Let’s start with the most obvious pick of the week. Tyrrell Hatton is a three-time Alfred Dunhill Links winner, and has also finished runner-up twice. Since missing his first two cuts in this event, Hatton proceeded to finish 1st, 1st, 2nd in his next three starts. Since then he’s finished 15th, 2nd, 7th and 1st in this tournament, and also added an 11th place finish at the 2022 Open Championship. Simply put, he’s mastered this event and St Andrews in particular.
For those worried about Ryder Cup fatigue, Hatton finished 2nd here behind Danny Willett after a losing week at Whistling Straits, so I am confident he can return from an away Ryder Cup again and win here, especially as he returns buoyant after a strong performance at Bethpage.
Hatton was unbeaten in four matches this past weekend, winning all three times across the first two days, before halving his match in a low-key Singles affair with Collin Morikawa.
It might be small, but he may well benefit from the one match he sat out, compared to Tommy Fleetwood, who had to play all five, and went out as one of the more important singles matches as well.
Given his extraordinary record here, and his obvious form, which also saw him finish 5th at Wentworth last time out, I am confident Hatton can become the first four-time winner of this event.
The Each Way Play: David Puig 25/1 e/w (Bet365 8 Places)
David Puig has played in three DP World Tour events in 2025, he has finished 3rd, 4th and 11th in those three starts, and been among the best ball strikers each time. Cast the net further back, and Puig ended 2024 with a slew of good results on this tour, finishing 3rd back home in the Open de Espana, before finishing 4th here on debut, and 12th in the Andalucia Masters.
This goes to show that if Puig was a full-time member of the DP World Tour, it’s very likely he would be off the mark at this level, or at least hitting the frame on a regular basis, and at 25/1 this week, I think he’s worth a nibble.
Playing with the freedom of not being involved in the Ryder Cup, and fresh from a break from the LIV Tour, Puig should have the bit between his teeth to gain a good amount of world ranking points where he can between now and the end of 2025.
Puig has mastered the art of playing solidly enough on LIV to keep his playing rights there, while also making a splash when returning to the DP World Tour ranks. Data Golf has him sitting 56th in their world rankings, and while his OWGR ranking is as low as 167th, the Data Golf number is far more accurate. To climb to that number though, he needs to make a run in some of these big events before the year is out, as he looks to play his way into the 2026 majors.
Some will baulk at the price as he’s generally been out of sight, out of mind in 2025, but he’s shown in his limited DP World Tour starts what impact he can make, and after finishing 10th in the LIV Golf standings, a vast improvement on his first few years, it’s clear Puig is settled in his career.
I expect him to win something noteworthy soon, and after finishing 4th here 12 months ago, this looks like a good spot for that breakthrough.
The Outsider: Joakim Lagergren 80/1 e/w (Paddy Power, Sky Bet 6 places)
While it’s not quite as impressive as Tyrrell Hatton’s, Joakim Lagergren’s Alfred Dunhill Links record is phenomenal, with the only thing missing being a win. With four top four finishes to his name here and a further 12th place finish, the Swede is very capable of getting in the mix here, evidenced by his runner-up finish alongside Hatton and behind Willett in 2021.
He’s been playing well of late as well, finishing 8th at Crans, before being the next-best behind Rory McIlroy at the Irish Open. It looked for a long time like Lagergren could win in Ireland, leading at halfway and still tied after 72 holes, ultimately losing in a play-off to one of the world’s best. While he will be disappointed he didn’t win there, we have seen what effect going toe-to-toe with Rory has had on someone like J.J Spaun, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a similar impact on Lagergren before the year is out.
On paper it looks like he’s fallen off, with 54th and 56th-place finishes in his last two, but he was 4th after round 1 at the BMW PGA Championship, and still in 11th place going into the weekend. He wasn’t good in France last time out, but a timely return to his favourite tournament should bring the best out of Lagergren, and I think the price is fair given his recent run, and his love for this set of golf courses.
The Longshot: Todd Clements 110/1 e/w (Bet365 8 places)
Todd Clements is my choice of longshot this week, as he recorded a third top 10 in his past seven starts in France last time out. That 10th in France followed a 3rd at the Barracuda Championship and a 7th at the NEXO Championship, where he was 2nd going into Sunday.
Clements is finding form at the very best time, getting better in each of his last four events in SG Approach, eventually leading the field in that department in France, after ranking 22nd, 19th, and 16th in his three events prior. He’s also ranked 24th, 31st, 44th, and 6th in SG Tee to Green in that time, with his Around the Green game generally letting him down.
7th at the NEXO Championship shows he enjoys links golf, and his win in Czech shows he can prosper when he has freedom off the tee, which he will get for much of this week. After missing the cut on debut, Clements also bounced back with a 35th place finish in this event last year, and he’s in better ball-striking form this time around.
If Clements continues to hit his irons the way he has over the past four tournaments, he is going to churn out a very good result, and this looks like the right tournament for him to write the next chapter in his story.
Perhaps an underachiever to this point, Clements has bags of talent, and while he’s typically been inconsistent throughout his DP World Tour career, he’s now recorded three top 10s and two top 30s in his past seven starts, and that’s a sign that his game is in really good shape ahead of this week’s test.
The Bonus Pick: Elvis Smylie 80/1 e/w (Paddy Power, Sky Bet 6 places)
I am going to break my usual structure this week and add a fifth pick, because I cannot watch Elvis Smylie pick off a win in this type of tournament and not be on. I have been tracking him for a few weeks now, and while he didn’t do enough to pay us back at the Irish Open when we were on, he’s shown again last time in France why he’s worth following, and I think he will relish this test.
Smylie has said he loves links golf, and while finishes of 34th at the Scottish Open and 31st at the NEXO Championship don’t necessarily stand out, they do validate that he could enjoy this style of golf. Add in the fact that he’s since finished 6th in Denmark and 2nd last time out in France, where he put in his best Tee to Green performance of the year, and another strong iron performance, and it’s hard to overlook the young Aussie.
Much is expected of Smylie, who is already off the mark on this tour, with a win at home to kick off this new season, and now it appears he’s settling into life properly on this tour. It’s one thing winning a DP World Tour event in Australia, but going close in France will feel like another leap in his career, and it’s a performance that should make us feel good about his chances going forward. Being able to adapt to different tests and fields is a key learning curve at this level, and he’s shown as much in recent months.
This might be too much too soon with all the Ryder Cup players in the field, but Smylie is certainly one of the brightest young talents on the DP World Tour, and I think this is a good platform for him to show that, as he looks to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Marco Penge, who are rightly earning plenty of plaudits, but are both few years older than him.
He won’t leap off the page stats-wise, as he struggles to gain strokes off-the-tee, but the one time he did gain strokes in that department in 2025 was at the Scottish Open, so maybe that’s a good omen.
The price isn’t huge by any means, but at 80/1 I want to keep this young and talented player on side.
About the author
Contributing Editor (mainly contributing unwanted sarcasm and iffy golf takes, to be honest)
He’s played golf with tour pros and celebrities including Greg Norman, Charley Hull, Matt Wallace, Long Driver World Champion Joe Miller, and Rob Brydon, watched The Open with Gary Player, and had a pull-up contest with Rory McIlroy. He’s interviewed countless tour pros and will always have a soft spot for Tommy Fleetwood.
Tom Jacobs TG’s resident golf betting expert.
