3 OCTOBER, 2023 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: EUROPEAN GOLF IS BASKING IN THE AFTERGLOW OF THE INCREDIBLE SUCCESS OF THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM AT MARCO SIMONE GOLF CLUB IN ROME, AND THIS WEEK AT THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP IT IS SET TO BE A PHENOMENAL SCOTTISH HOMECOMING FOR OUR UNBEATEN ROOKIE, ROBERT MACINTYRE. THE 27-YEAR-OLD FROM OBAN CAME INTO THE RYDER CUP ON THE BACK OF A MISSED CUT AT LE GOLF NATIONAL, AND MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM GOLF MEDIA DISMISSED HIS CREDENTIALS, RANKING HIM 24TH OF 24 COMPETITORS IN ROME. MACINTYRE PROVED THE CRITICS WRONG THOUGH WITH A SENSATIONAL ROOKIE PERFORMANCE, RECORDING TWO WINS AND A HALF, INCLUDING A STUNNING VICTORY OVER THE US OPEN CHAMPION WYNDHAM CLARK IN THE SUNDAY SINGLES.
BOB, AS HE IS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN, WAS ON THE VERGE OF GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN SUCCESS AT RENAISSANCE IN JULY BEFORE RORY MCILROY'S SPECTACULAR FINISH DENIED HIM A THIRD DP WORLD TOUR TITLE, AND THE 2022 ITALIAN OPEN CHAMPION WILL BE DESPERATE TO ADD ANOTHER VICTORY TO HIS RESUME SOON. ASIDE FROM SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER WIN, THIS WEEK COULD BE CRUCIAL TO MACINTYRE AS HE BIDS FOR A PGA TOUR CARD VIA THE RACE TO DUBAI. BOB IS CURRENTLY RANKED 10TH ON THE RACE TO DUBAI, AND HOLDS THE 6TH OF 10 SPOTS INTO NEXT SEASON'S PGA TOUR FEDEX CUP.
BOB FINISHED IN A TIE FOR 20TH AT THE 2022 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, 7 SHOTS BEHIND THE WINNER, RYAN FOX.
ANOTHER EUROPEAN RYDER CUP STAR IN THE FIELD THIS WEEK IS THE 2022 US OPEN CHAMPION MATT FITZPATRICK, THE 29-year-old from Sheffield has a mixed record at the ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH 3 MISSED CUTS AND 3 TOP 30 FINISHES. HE FINISHED IN A TIE FOR 22ND AT LAST YEAR'S CHAMPIONSHIP. FITZPATRICK FINALLY CLAIMED HIS FIRST RYDER CUP POINT, AFTER TWO WINLESS EVENTS IN 2016 AND 2021, AND IS COMING TO ST ANDREWS IN DECENT FORM.
THE ENGLISHMAN FINISHED IN A TIE FOR THIRD AT THE OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS, AND A TIE FOR 18TH AT THE BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT STILL SITS OUTSIDE THE TOP 50 ON THE RACE TO DUBAI, MEANING HE STANDS TO MISS OUT ON THE DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, AN EVENT HE HAS WON TWICE. SO A BIG PERFORMANCE MAY BE REQUIRED THIS WEEK.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD WAS THE MATCH-WINNING HERO AT MARCO SIMONE, AND HAS BECOME A TALISMAN FOR EUROPE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. FLEETWOOD'S FIRST DP WORLD TOUR WIN CAME IN SCOTLAND, 10 YEARS AGO AT THE JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES AND HE HAS AN EXCELLENT RECORD IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP. THE SOUTHPORT MAN HAS NEVER MISSED THE CUT HERE, AND HAS RECORDED 6 TOP 10 FINISHES, FINISHING AS RUNNER-UP IN 2014 AND 2018.
THIS WEEK IS SET TO BE A CRUCIAL EVENT FOR PLAYERS CHASING PLACES ON THE PGA TOUR, SPOTS IN THE DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, AND KEEPING THEIR CARD ON THE DP WORLD TOUR. DEFENDING CHAMPION RYAN FOX AND ITALIAN OPEN CHAMPION ADRIAN MERONK ARE THE HIGHEST RANKED PLAYERS ON THE RACE TO DUBAI PLAYING, AND BOTH WILL BE LOOKING FOR A WIN TO CLOSE THE GAP ON THE TOP 2, RORY MCILROY AND JON RAHM. 2019 CHAMPION VICTOR PEREZ IS CURRENTLY RANKED IN 6TH PLACE ON THE RACE TO DUBAI, AND A DECENT FINISH HERE WILL SECURE HIS PGA TOUR CARD FOR 2024.
RASMUS HOJGAARD, THE TWIN BROTHER OF RYDER CUP STAR NICOLAI, IS JUST 1 PLACE OUTSIDE THE PGA TOUR CARDS, AND A DECENT WEEK IN ST ANDREWS CAN SEE HIM EDGE AHEAD OF FELLOW DANE, AND FORMER DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPION, THORBJORN OLESEN.
LOCAL INTEREST RELIES UPON CONNOR SYME. THE DRUMOIG AND SCOTSCRAIG STAR HAS HAD A TREMENDOUS RUN RECENTLY, WITH TOP 10 FINISHES IN FOUR CONSECUTIVE EVENTS INCLUDING THE BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP. HE IS CURRENTLY RANKED 41ST ON THE RACE TO DUBAI, AND A GOOD PERFORMANCE ON FAMILIAR TERRITORY WILL SECURE ANOTHER APPEARANCE IN THE SEASON-ENDING DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP. A FIRST DP WORLD TOUR WIN COULD POTENTIALLY PUT HIM CONTENTION FOR A LATE RUN AT THE PGA TOUR CARDS TOO.
AS RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TOURS AND LIV GOLF THAWS, FIVE MEMBERS OF THE BREAKAWAY CIRCUIT HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE THIS WEEK, LED BY LIV GOLF LEAGUE TITLE CONTENDER, TALOR GOOCH. GOOCH HAS HAD A PHENOMENAL SEASON, WINNING IN AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE AND SPAIN, AND MUST SURELY BE SEEN AS A CONTENDER FOR THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP. GOOCH IS ONE OF THREE PLAYERS IN CONTENTION TO WIN THE SEASON-LONG LIV GOLF LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN JEDDAH, ALONGSIDE BRYSON DECHAMBEAU AND CAMERON SMITH. GOOCH PLAYED IN THE 2022 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, MISSING THE CUT AFTER ROUNDS OF 71, 75 AND 76.
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN IS A REGULAR AT THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, AND THE 2010 OPEN CHAMPION (2015 RUNNER-UP) ON THE OLD COURSE WILL BE HOPING TO ADD TO HIS RESUME ON THE OLD COURSE THIS WEEK. INDIVIDUALLY OOSTHUIZEN HAS HAD A DISAPPOINTING SEASON IN THE LIV GOLF LEAGUE, RANKED 22ND OUT OF 48, WITH JUST TWO TOP 10 FINISHES. HUDSON SWAFFORD MAKES HIS SECOND APPEARANCE OF THE YEAR IN ST ANDREWS, FOLLOWING A MISSED CUT IN THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS, ON THE ASIAN TOUR. THE FOURTH LIV GOLF PLAYER ENTERED FOR THIS WEEK IS PETER UIHLEIN, THE RUNNER-UP TO DAVID HOWELL IN THE 2013 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP. UHLEIN HAD A GOOD FIRST SEASON IN THE LIV GOLF LEAGUE, WINNING IN JEDDAH, BUT HAS HAD A LESS CONSISTENT YEAR IN 2023, RANKED 12TH AND OUT OF THE TITLE PICTURE NEXT WEEK. SOUTH AFRICAN DEAN BURMESTER IS THE FIFTH CURRENT LIV GOLF STAR TO BE INVITED THIS WEEK.
THIS YEAR HAS ARGUABLY THE MOST ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF CELEBRITIES PLAYING IN SEVERAL YEARS, WITH CATHERINE ZETA JONES MAKING HER DEBUT, AND FELLOW WELSH STAR, GARETH BALE HEADLINING THE PRO-AM. STUART BROAD, IAN BOTHAM, RUUD GULLIT, KATHRYN NEWTON, SIR STEVE REDGRAVE, BILL MURRAY, AP MCCOY, HUEY LEWIS, TICO TORRES, PIERS MORGAN, RONAN KEATING, TOM CHAPLIN AND DAVE FARRELL WILL SURELY ATTRACT A MORE DIVERSE CROWD TO THE HOME OF GOLF THIS WEEK.
THE DRAW FOR THIS YEAR'S ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE UNVEILED THIS EVENING AT THE WELCOME PARTY IN THE ALFRED DUNHILL PAVILION, AND RELEASED ON ALFREDDUNHILLLINKS.COM TONIGHT.
