2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship news, professional and amateur field updates, highlights, course rotation, weather, pairings, and live leaderboard movement.
St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland
Explore Alfred Dunhill Links Championship history since 2001, past professional and team winners, famous Old Course finishes, record champions, and the event’s connection with St Andrews.
View HistoryFollow the 2026 professional field, amateur partners, celebrity pairings, course assignments, defending-champion coverage, weather, live scoring, and highlights from Scotland.
Event PreviewReview the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie Championship Course, and Kingsbarns Golf Links, including wind, bunkering, burns, scoring opportunities, and course-fit demands.
Three-Course GuideCompetition Dates: October 1-4, 2026
Venues: Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns
Tour: DP World Tour
Format: Professional and pro-am team championships
Professional Field: 168 players
Amateur Field: 168 partners
Prize Fund: US$5 million
R2DR Points: 5,000
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship combines a DP World Tour individual professional tournament with a team competition pairing every professional with an amateur. Groups rotate through three Scottish links courses before the leading professionals and teams return to the Old Course for the final round.
The 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is scheduled for October 1-4 across the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie Championship Course, and Kingsbarns Golf Links. This section will move from preview coverage into round-by-round recaps and highlights once tournament play begins.
CaddyBytes 🏆 Tournament Preview: The championship brings together 168 professionals and 168 amateur partners for two competitions running side by side. The professional event carries a US$5 million prize fund and 5,000 Race to Dubai points, while the team championship uses the lower net score between each professional and amateur on every hole.
Every pairing plays all three courses during the opening rounds. The leading 60 professionals and ties and the leading 20 teams advance to the traditional final round on the Old Course. Wind, course assignment, tee-time wave, bunker avoidance, links creativity, and patience through the pro-am pace will shape the leaderboard.
Robert MacIntyre returns as defending professional champion after winning the weather-shortened 2025 event at 18-under. Tournament-week coverage will follow field announcements, amateur partners, celebrity entries, pairings, tee times, course rotation, Scottish weather, cut movement, highlights, interviews, and the latest news from St Andrews.
| Coverage Area | Current Status | Tournament-Week Update |
|---|---|---|
| Professional & Amateur Field | 168 professionals and 168 amateurs | Final entries, withdrawals, celebrity participants, professional-amateur pairings and late changes |
| Course Rotation | St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns | Daily assignments, tee times, wind, firmness, scoring comparisons and Sunday qualifiers |
| Live Scoring | Begins October 1 | Professional leaderboard, team standings, course-by-course movement and cut projections |
| Highlights | Preview mode | Official video and CaddyBytes round-recap updates during tournament play |
What to watch: Links experience, trajectory control, wind management, bunker avoidance, course-rotation luck, pro-am patience, and the ability to take advantage of Kingsbarns and favorable Old Course conditions should separate the leading contenders.
Coverage plan: This preview will be replaced with the latest completed-round recap, professional leaderboard, team standings, course comparison, highlights, cut picture, and next-round outlook as the championship progresses.
The official preview or highlights video will be embedded here when available.
2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship preview and tournament-update video area.