2025 Alfred Dunhill Links: Time to Play

Good morning and welcome to the first day's play at the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, marking the fortieth anniversary of dunhill golf in St Andrews.

Play begins at 0900 on the Old Course St Andrews, Kingsbarns Golf Links and Carnoustie Golf Links. Today, Matt Hooper Photography is at the Old Course, and this is what we have coming up across SHANK

This morning I will be covering St Andrews' John Paterson in his first round on the DP World Tour as a professional, as well as Kingsbarns Golf Links' Daniel Young. Daniel tees off at 10.17am on the 10th tee, and John also begins at the 10th hole at 11.12am.

John's participation in this event is the biggest local news story in the history of the platform, having covered John since he was 16 through the amateur ranks and into his fledgling professional career. Paterson shot a remarkable round of 63 last month on the Jubilee Course to win the Tartan Pro Tour's St Andrews Classic, a round which featured an incredible 8 birdies and 2 eagles. He has played many tournaments on the Old Course including multiple St Andrews Links Trophies, and in 2019 he won the prestigious R&A Local Clubs' Gold Medal with rounds of 70 and 67.

Daniel Young is attached to Kingsbarns Golf Links and is originally from Perth. He won his maiden Challenge Tour title this season at the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by the R&A and is currently ranked 289th in the world.

Other notable professionals in St Andrews today include Ross Fisher, Bernd Wiesberger, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Elvis Smylie, Laurie Canter, Adrian Meronk, Brendan Steele, Tom McKibbin, and Thomas Pieters.

I'll also follow some of the biggest celebrities in the field including Michael Bloomberg, Dermot Desmond, Mark Nicholas, Allan Lamb, Michael Vaughan, PGA TOUR CEO Jay Monahan, Kevin Pietersen, Tom Chaplin, Ronan Keating, Matthew Goode, Mike Rutherford, Dave Farrell, Huey Lewis, AP McCoy, Sir Steve Redgrave and Piers Morgan.

• Photo updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky and Threads

• Photos of the day, only www.shank.golf

• A full report from round one, only on www.shank.golf plus any significant breaking news

The weather today is set to be a significant challenge with winds gusting up to 45mph and a low speed of 20-25mph, but it is supposed to be mainly sunny.

For more on the draw click here.

12 years ago in my first Dunhill in the media we had a personally special winner in David Howell, David is from my home county and I have followed his entire career, this year I have to admit a win for John or Connor would not only be historic, but the highlight of my career and the history of this platform. I hope the many hundreds of locals who have engaged with SHANK's coverage so far this week are out to follow John on the Old Course today, giving him the support he deserves.

This is SHANK. Golf from the grassroots to the giants of the game.

SHANK's unrivalled coverage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship included a 40-day countdown to mark the 40th anniversary, a special tournament preview called 40 years of Fashion, a celebration of four decades of dunhill golf in St Andrews, an exclusive feature with John Paterson, a feature celebrating celebrities and their impact on the sport, and an exclusive interview with Executive Tournament Director Peter German. Across social media SHANK has posted more than 120 posts since last Saturday, and over 160 since our coverage began on 18 August. And that is just the beginning, with the tournament teeing off this morning. Enjoy the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

SHANK, written by Matt Hooper