Richard Sterne heads into this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, buoyed by his second-place finish last year and determined to realise a longstanding dream at The Home of Golf.
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‘It’s always been a dream of mine to walk up the 18th at St Andrews, winning either this or The Open. I came close here last year in this event. It’d be nice to have a chance again come Sunday,’ said Sterne.
Sterne has a solid record in one of the premier tournaments on the European Tour, having twice finished sixth, as well as runner-up last year.
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‘The camaraderie here is better than any event I’ve played. I love it,’ he said.
And he declared his troublesome back to be in good shape as well.
‘My body is good. It’s not 100%, but it’s not stopping me from playing. I was out at the beginning of the year for four months with injuries, but touch wood, it’s all good now.’
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played on the three links courses of the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie and in a pro-am format, featuring an array of sports stars and celebrities alongside the professionals.
This year’s field includes Rory McIlroy, who has finished second here three times, Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace and Lee Westwood.
The amateur field includes cricketers Kevin Pietersen, Mark Boucher, Shane Warne and Jacques Kallis; former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko; footballer Luis Figo; rock stars Ronan Keating, Brian McFadden, Tico Torres, David Farrell, Tom Chaplin, Huey Lewis and Mike Rutherford; and actors Jamie Dornan, Matthew Goode and Greg Kinnear.
Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images
