Hollywood great Bill Murray is back to play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, to the delight of the enthusiastic Scottish galleries.
The crowd-pleaser, best known for huge films like Lost In Translation, Ghost Busters and Groundhog Day, is especially popular with golf fans for his superb portrayal of a wacky greenkeeper, Carl, in the film Caddyshack.
Bill will be teeing off on Thursday along with a group of much-admired actors such as Matthew Goode, fresh from the opening of the film Downton Abbey in which he plays Henry Talbot, Justin Timberlake, Greg Kinnear and Luke Wilson.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a celebration of links golf at its finest, takes place over three of the best and most historic courses in the world – the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, from 26-29 September.
It incorporates two separate competitions – an individual professional tournament for the world’s leading golfers and the Team Championship, in which the pros are paired with amateur players, creating a unique atmosphere and camaraderie.
The amateurs will be pairing up with the strongest-ever professional field in the history of the Alfred Dunhill Links, led by three of the world’s top 10 – Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm – and supported by Open champion Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, runner-up at Portrush, and US Ryder Cup player Tony Finau.
Other Major champions in the lineup are Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Danny Willett, winner of the BMW PGA Championship at the weekend, Michael Campbell, Trevor Immelman, plus two-time winner Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood, winner in 2003, who showed what a rich vein of form he is in when he finished fourth in The Open at Portrush, former winner Branden Grace and ever-popular world No 1 Luke Donald. Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard will be back to defend his title.
This is the 35th year that Alfred Dunhill has supported golf at St Andrews, through the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and previously the Alfred Dunhill Cup. Millions have been raised for charity in that time through the work of the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation.
