Dylan Frittelli is eager to put on a good showing when he teams up with American surfing legend Kelly Slater at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
READ: Who to watch at the Dunhill Links
The competition in Scotland has a purse of $5-million, but it is the sight of celebrities, sporting icons, business tycoons and the like that really adds intrigue to the week.
Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews host the tournament, with teams playing a round on each course before the team event is cut to the top 20 pro-ams for Sunday’s final round at the Old Course.
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England’s Tyrrell Hatton defends the title, but that is often overshadowed by the fans’ interest in which team is leading the pro-am event.
South African Frittelli, himself a surfing enthusiast, was delighted to be drawn with Slater for the first three rounds.
‘I’m stoked to get Kelly in the draw,’ said Frittelli, who broke into the European Tour winner’s circle at the Lyoness Open in Austria earlier in the season. ‘It’s going to be a fun three days walking the fairways with him. Not sure how I landed him in the draw, but I am certainly not complaining.’
Surfing is likely to be the most discussed topic with Frittelli a massive fan, but Slater is no slouch on dry land. The duo look set to form a formidable partnership around the links.
‘We will definitely be talking surfing. He’s had a foot injury and it will be interesting to hear his thoughts on his return to action.’
One small hiccup is Frittelli’s self-described lack of match practice in links conditions.
‘It’s going to be a long week, three tough courses in really cold, windy conditions. I’m really excited about it though. Links golf really appeals to me and I’m looking forward to expanding my shot range out there. It’s always good to test yourself in different conditions and on different courses, so it can only benefit me.’
While a good performance is definitely still at the top of his mind, Frittelli also wants to add plenty of smiles and jokes this week.
‘It’s great to have the amateurs alongside us. It’s bound to be lots of fun all week without the usual amount of stress that a “normal competition” brings. There are lots of different types of people around this week and I look forward to meeting them and rubbing shoulders with people I don’t normally get a chance to interact with. Hopefully, Kelly and I do well enough to add a fourth round to our schedule on Sunday to top it all off.’
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Photo: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images
