Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2026: What to Know
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship returns to Scotland this week for one of the most distinctive tournaments on the DP World Tour.
The 2026 event runs from Thursday 1 October to Sunday 4 October, with the opening three rounds played across the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns before everyone who survives the cut heads to St Andrews for Sunday’s final round.
This year also marks the tournament’s 25th anniversary, with the event bringing together 168 professionals and 168 amateurs for simultaneous professional and team competitions.
The simple version: three links courses, professional and amateur teams, a delayed Saturday cut and a Sunday finish at the Home of Golf.
When Is the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2026?
The tournament takes place from:
- Thursday 1 October
- Friday 2 October
- Saturday 3 October
- Sunday 4 October
The first three rounds are spread across St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
Sunday’s final round is played entirely on the Old Course at St Andrews.
Where Is the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Played?
The Dunhill Links uses three of Scotland’s most recognisable links courses.
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course is the centrepiece of the tournament.
St Andrews is the Home of Golf and one of the most famous courses anywhere in the world. The Dunhill Links is particularly unusual because it brings professional tournament golf back to the Old Course every year rather than waiting for the rotation of The Open.
The Old Course will also look slightly different this year.
Work carried out ahead of the 2027 Open has included new bunkering, altered fairway positioning and new championship tees. The championship yardage has increased by 57 yards to 7,375 yards.
Carnoustie
Carnoustie is normally considered the toughest of the three.
It demands accurate driving, good course management and plenty of patience. The Barry Burn and Carnoustie’s closing holes have caused problems for some of the best players in the world.
If the wind arrives, this is usually the course players are happiest to get through without damaging their tournament.
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns is the newest of the three courses.
It sits along the Fife coastline and provides a different type of links test. There is generally more room from the tee than Carnoustie, but the course still rewards good positioning and quality approach play.
How Does the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Work?
The Dunhill Links has two competitions taking place at the same time.
There is:
- The professional DP World Tour tournament
- The professional-amateur Team Championship
Each of the 168 professionals is paired with an amateur.
The professional plays their own normal stroke-play round for the individual tournament.
At the same time, their score contributes to the team competition alongside their amateur partner.
Each pair plays all three courses once over the first three days.
How Does the Team Competition Work?
The team score on each hole is the lower net score between the professional and the amateur.
The professional effectively plays from scratch.
The amateur receives a stroke allowance equal to two thirds of their official handicap, capped at:
- 18 strokes for men
- 24 strokes for women
That means the amateur can make an important contribution even when their professional partner is playing well.
When Is the Cut?
There is no normal Friday-night cut.
Because every player needs the opportunity to complete all three courses, the cut takes place after 54 holes on Saturday.
After Saturday:
- The leading 60 professionals and ties advance
- The leading 20 teams advance
Both groups then play the Old Course on Sunday.
It is one of the few DP World Tour events where Saturday effectively acts as cut day.
Who Won Last Year?
Robert MacIntyre is the defending champion.
The Scot won the 2025 tournament after producing three consecutive rounds of 66.
The event was reduced to 54 holes after persistent winds caused Saturday’s scheduled third round to be cancelled.
MacIntyre eventually finished four shots ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and became the first Scottish winner since Colin Montgomerie in 2005.
That makes MacIntyre one of the main players to watch again this week.
Who Is Playing in 2026?
The professional field is strong.
Major champions, Ryder Cup players, LIV golfers and DP World Tour regulars are all heading to Scotland.
Notable names include:
- Robert MacIntyre
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Justin Rose
- Sepp Straka
- Luke Donald
- Brooks Koepka
- Bubba Watson
- Cameron Smith
- Francesco Molinari
- Alex Noren
- Pádraig Harrington
- Danny Willett
Brooks Koepka is also trying to become the first American winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Players to Watch
Robert MacIntyre
MacIntyre is the obvious starting point.
He is defending on home soil and clearly enjoys links golf. His 2025 victory also ended a 20-year wait for a Scottish champion.
Another strong week would put him firmly in contention to become only the third multiple winner of the event.
Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton has one of the best records in Dunhill Links history.
He has won the tournament three times, more than anyone else, and remains the only player to have successfully defended the title after winning in both 2016 and 2017.
He also finished second to MacIntyre last year.
Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood's controlled ball flight and iron play should make him particularly interesting across the three links courses.
He is also one of the biggest names in the field and will attract plenty of attention wherever his rotation takes him.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick is another player whose game makes sense around links courses.
Accuracy, distance control and sensible course management are particularly important when the wind changes.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka gives the field another major-championship angle.
He has never won this event, and no American has won the professional title, so he has the chance to create a bit of tournament history.
Cameron Smith
Smith's short game and putting make him an interesting option around St Andrews in particular.
He also knows exactly how to win on the Old Course after his success there in The Open.
Which Celebrities Are Playing?
The amateur field is one of the main reasons this tournament gets attention outside normal golf audiences.
The 2026 line-up includes names from football, cricket, music, film and other sports.
Confirmed names include:
- Gareth Bale
- Bill Murray
- Michael Peña
- James Milner
- Ruud Gullit
- Ronan Keating
- Tom Chaplin
- Dave Farrell
- Huey Lewis
- Sir Steve Redgrave
- Kelly Slater
- Kevin Pietersen
- Sir Tony McCoy
- Sean Fitzpatrick
Sir Steve Redgrave is particularly closely connected to the event. He has played in every Alfred Dunhill Links Championship since the first edition in 2001.
Some of the Celebrity Pairings
The first-round draw has produced several interesting combinations.
Among them:
- Gareth Bale with Marcus Armitage
- James Milner with Sean Crocker
- Kevin Pietersen with Wade Ormsby
- Michael Peña with Austin Bautista
- Ronan Keating with Lee Westwood
- Kelly Slater with Rafa Cabrera Bello
- Sir Steve Redgrave with Oliver Wilson
- Tom Chaplin with Adrian Meronk
- Dave Farrell with Jorge Campillo
- Ruud Gullit with Charles Howell III
- Sir Tony McCoy with Ryggs Johnston
The rotation means these groups will move between St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns over the first three rounds.
Why Are Celebrities Playing in a DP World Tour Event?
Because the Team Championship is an official part of the Dunhill Links format.
This is not just a celebrity event running beside the tournament.
The amateurs play alongside the professionals and their net scores can actually decide the Team Championship.
It creates a strange mix.
One group might contain a major champion.
The next could include a Premier League footballer, musician or actor.
Then another group might contain players fighting to keep their DP World Tour cards.
That is part of what makes the tournament different.
Why Is 2026 Significant?
This is the 25th anniversary edition.
The tournament was first held in 2001. There was no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning 24 editions had been completed before this year's tournament.
Across those editions there have been 21 different champions.
Only two players have won more than once:
- Tyrrell Hatton – three wins
- Pádraig Harrington – two wins
Hatton is also the only player to win in consecutive years.
How Much Is the Prize Fund?
The 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship carries a $5 million prize fund.
It also offers 5,000 Race to Dubai points and forms part of the DP World Tour's Back 9.
That is important.
The celebrity element can make the tournament feel more relaxed, but there is a serious professional competition underneath it.
Players are fighting for:
- Prize money
- Race to Dubai position
- DP World Tour Play-Off qualification
- Playing rights for 2027
- World ranking position
The top 70 qualifying players on the Race to Dubai after the Back 9 move on to the Abu Dhabi Championship before the top 50 available players progress to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
Where to Watch the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
UK viewers can watch the tournament live on Sky Sports Golf.
Sky's current schedule lists:
Thursday 1 October
- Sky Sports Golf from 12:00pm
- Sky Sports Main Event from 12:00pm
Friday 2 October
- Sky Sports Golf from 12:00pm
- Sky Sports Main Event from 12:00pm
Saturday 3 October
- Sky Sports Golf from 12:00pm
- Sky Sports Main Event from 3:00pm
Sunday 4 October
- Sky Sports Golf from 11:30am
- Sky Sports Main Event from 11:30am
Streaming is also available to eligible Sky customers through Sky Go, with Sky's contract-free sports option available through NOW.
Can You Watch the Dunhill Links in Person?
Yes, and this is one of the better-value professional golf events to attend.
Entry on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is free at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
You do not need a ticket for those three days.
Sunday at St Andrews is ticketed.
Current prices are:
- Adults: £20
- Over 65s: £15
- Under 18s: free
- Students: free
- Military personnel: free
Valid ID is required for concession entry.
Sunday tickets need to be arranged in advance because there will be no ticket sales at the gate.
For students in particular, that makes Sunday at the Old Course a very cheap way to watch a strong professional field.
Which Day Is Best to Attend?
It depends on what you want.
Thursday
Probably the best option if you want to see as many different professionals and celebrities as possible.
The field is complete, and there is less pressure around the leaderboard.
Friday
Similar to Thursday but with a little more tournament context.
You can start to see who is scoring well and which players still have Carnoustie ahead of them.
Saturday
This is cut day.
That adds more pressure because professionals are fighting for the top 60 while the teams are trying to reach the top 20.
Sunday
Best for the actual tournament.
Everyone is at St Andrews, the individual title is decided and the Team Championship is also settled.
If you only want to attend one day for competitive golf, Sunday is the obvious choice.
What Should You Watch For?
The Weather
The three venues are close geographically, but links weather can still create completely different playing conditions.
Someone playing Carnoustie in difficult wind can effectively face a different tournament from someone playing Kingsbarns during a calmer spell.
That is worth remembering when looking at the leaderboard.
Who Has Already Played Carnoustie
Carnoustie is generally the hardest of the three courses.
A golfer who is three shots behind but has already completed Carnoustie may be in a better position than the raw leaderboard suggests.
The Celebrity Scores
Do not completely ignore the team leaderboard.
The amateur contribution can be significant because of handicap strokes.
A strong amateur can suddenly turn a professional-amateur pair into genuine team contenders.
Hatton at St Andrews
Tyrrell Hatton's Dunhill record is difficult to ignore.
If he is anywhere near contention going into Sunday, he will be one of the players worth watching closely.
MacIntyre's Defence
A Scottish defending champion at St Andrews is always going to get attention.
MacIntyre winning again would make him only the third multiple champion in tournament history.
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