Preview
Dunhill Links 2026 preview: MacIntyre defends at the Home of Golf
Robert MacIntyre defends the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, with Fitzpatrick, Hatton, Fleetwood, Rose and Koepka in a field chasing Race to Dubai points.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (1–4 October) celebrates its 25th anniversary this week with 168 professionals, 168 amateurs, three links and a final round on the Old Course. A year after Robert MacIntyre ended a 19-year wait for a Scottish winner, he is back to defend in what he calls “golf heaven”.
A pro, an amateur and three courses
Every professional is paired with an amateur, and the pros play a round on each of the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns from Thursday to Saturday. After 54 holes the field is cut to the leading 60 professionals and ties, plus the leading 20 teams, and Sunday’s final round is played over the Old Course.
Running alongside is a team championship: amateurs get two-thirds of their handicap (up to 18 for men and 24 for women) and the team takes the better net score at each hole.
Our course profile covers Kingsbarns.
A new-look Old Course
With The Open returning to St Andrews next summer, the DP World Tour says the course has had its most significant changes since before the 2015 Open: new bunkers at elite driving distance on the 6th and 10th, a widened 16th fairway with two new bunkers left of the Principal’s Nose, and new championship tees on the 6th and 7th. The championship yardage is up 57 yards to 7,375.
MacIntyre’s three 66s
MacIntyre won last year with three consecutive 66s after Saturday’s round was lost to wind, beating Tyrrell Hatton by four shots over 54 holes. He was the fourth Scottish winner of the event, after Paul Lawrie (2001), Stephen Gallacher (2004) and Colin Montgomerie (2005). Only one player has ever retained this title: Hatton, in 2016 and 2017.
Five Ryder Cup winners and Koepka
The field has players from 28 nations. Five of Europe’s 2025 Ryder Cup winners join MacIntyre: Hatton, the record three-time champion, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka. Captain Luke Donald is playing too.
Fitzpatrick won the FedEx Open de France by three shots on Sunday, his 11th DP World Tour title, as we covered on our Open de France hub. He won this event in 2023, and the Paris win lifted him to ninth in the Race to Dubai, according to Golfmagic.
Brooks Koepka is trying to become the first American to win the Dunhill Links, and there are more Major winners in Francesco Molinari, Bubba Watson and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter make their first DP World Tour starts since January 2023, as we reported this week.
There are ten Scots in the field, including Closing Swing winner Scott Jamieson, Calum Hill, Grant Forrest, Connor Syme and Global Amateur Pathway winner Cameron Adam.
Reed out, Hill in, and the wind
The Race to Dubai. The top three in the standings, Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy and Eugenio Chacarra, are all absent. Reed is out with a wrist injury. That opens the door for players further down the list as the DP World Tour Play-Offs approach, and for others fighting to keep their cards for 2027.
A debut. Josh Hill, who holed the winning putt for Great Britain & Ireland at the Walker Cup at Lahinch this month, makes his professional debut.
The weather. Last year the wind wiped out a whole round.
Thursday’s tee times (GMT)
Scotland is on BST, so local times are one hour later. Players start on the 1st and 10th tees of all three courses from 08:00 GMT. Selected groups for Thursday:
| GMT | Course (tee) | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Carnoustie (10th) | Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton |
| 08:00 | Carnoustie (1st) | Lee Westwood, Pádraig Harrington |
| 08:11 | Carnoustie (10th) | Francesco Molinari, Sepp Straka |
| 08:55 | Carnoustie (10th) | Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose |
| 08:55 | Old Course (1st) | Ian Poulter, Sean Crocker |
| 08:55 | Kingsbarns (1st) | Josh Hill, Shubhankar Sharma |
| 09:17 | Carnoustie (10th) | Tommy Fleetwood, Danny Willett |
| 09:50 | Carnoustie (10th) | Brooks Koepka, Thomas Detry |
| 10:23 | Carnoustie (10th) | Luke Donald, Cameron Smith |
On television
Coverage on the tour’s world feed is between 11:00 and 16:00 GMT on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and between 10:30 and 16:00 GMT on Sunday. In the UK and Ireland it is on Sky Sports; in the US it is on Golf Channel, CNBC and GolfPass.
Three to watch
- Matt Fitzpatrick. A past champion who arrives straight off a three-shot win in Paris.
- Tyrrell Hatton. Three titles and a runner-up finish last year. Nobody has a better record over these three courses.
- Robert MacIntyre. Retaining the title would put him in company with only Hatton.
Round reports follow on our tournament hub.
Sources
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