Birdies St Andrews agree deal to sponsor SHANK coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Birdies St Andrews, the best Pizza takeaway in St Andrews, have agreed a deal to sponsor SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with coverage beginning on Sunday 27 September with a special platform-wide, day long event - The Day Before the Dunhill.

Birdies St Andrews will be visible across www.shank.golf and every post during the 9 days of coverage, and Matt Hooper Photography will be working with them to showcase their business and brand throughout the coverage.

SHANK's coverage will be the most expansive to date, with content across www.shank.golf, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Threads and BlueSky. Ahead of this year's event SHANK will have a special event across the platform called 'The Day before The Dunhill' on Sunday 27 September, which will showcase all three host courses and towns/villages on the day before tournament week begins.

The Day Before The Dunhill will kick off in Carnoustie, before heading to Kingsbarns and then concluding in St Andrews, with a variety of photography, video and written content published throughout the day, setting the scene for the week ahead. Birdies is named so because of the owner's love for golf, and as part of The Day before the Dunhill we will have a video feature from 13 Bell Street. The day before the dunhill will conclude with SHANK's written preview to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, exclusively on www.shank.golf.

SHANK will begin its countdown to the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Thursday 3 September (4 weeks before the first round) by looking back to our exclusive feature in 2025 - 40 years of Fashion: a celebration of four decades of dunhill golf in St Andrews. This exclusive editorial was shot across St Andrews with model and avid golfer Kyle Moran, and we showcased the fashion styles of the four decades which the Alfred Dunhill Cup/Alfred Dunhill Links has been played in St Andrews.

The schedule from Monday to Friday is largely dependent upon the draw, and whether any local golfers are invited to play in the tournament, but it is likely to pan out as shown below:

Monday (Monday 28 September) - St Andrews - Practice rounds officially begin across all three courses, and on a Monday you often see some of the bigger names sneaking out for an early week round on the Old Course. I will be in St Andrews to capture those moments, and www.shank.golf will have feature articles A Vision for a New European Tour, and For Team Golf to succeed outside the Ryder Cup Golf must go Back to the Future, as well as Photos of the day.

Tuesday (Tuesday 29 September) - St Andrews - Tuesday is a good day to catch celebrity golfers getting practice in on the Old Course, and I will be there to capture those moments. www.shank.golf will cover the press conferences and round up the news from the day, as well as reacting to the draw, which is announced at the draw party in the Alfred Dunhill Pavilion behind the 17th green, as well as Photos of the day.

Wednesday (Wednesday 30 September) - St Andrews - Many of the headline golfers choose to get their Old Course prep done on Wednesday, and I will be there capture those moments, as well as covering the final press conferences. www.shank.golf will have a feature article on the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation, covering the work that it does and much more, as well as Photos of the day.

Thursday (Thursday 1 October) - Carnoustie - If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at Carnoustie on Thursday then I will be at Carnoustie to cover the first round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Friday (Friday 2 October) - Kingsbarns - If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at Kingsbarns on Friday then I will be at Kingsbarns to cover the second round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Super Saturday in St Andrews (Saturday 3 October) - St Andrews - Saturday is cut day, and the day of the annual Fireworks display in St Andrews, and If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at St Andrews on Saturday then I will be at St Andrews to cover the third round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day. Then from approximately 6.30pm I will be out on the course to try and get a unique vantage point to cover the fireworks from, with a live stream on Facebook, followed shortly by images on the other social channels.

Super Saturday in St Andrews will also be the title of a special feature article on www.shank.golf on Saturday morning, setting the scene for the day ahead.

Championship Sunday (Sunday 4 October) - St Andrews - the Final round will be on the Sunday (weather permitting of course!) and there will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Championship Sunday will also be the title of a special feature article on www.shank.golf, setting the scene for the battle for the individual and team championships.

The day after the dunhill (Monday 5 October) - this special day of content will look back at a week to remember, with content across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky.

The 25th anniversary Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is set to be a compelling tournament, with many of the previous champions set to tee-it-up including Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Padraig Harrington, Danny Willett and Lee Westwood so far confirmed. Cameron Smith, Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood have all been officially confirmed so far, and Jon Rahm has stated in his schedule on his website that he is playing in the championship too. More professionals are expected to be confirmed over the course of the next 10 days, as well as the celebrity participants.

Everybody will be hoping for a week of great weather after the wind of 2025 and rain of 2023 shortened the championship to 54 holes, and in the case of 2023 forced the event into a Monday finish.

SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is sponsored by Birdies St Andrews - the best Pizza Takeaway in St Andrews, open 12pm-3am everyday

www.birdiesstandrews.com

13 Bell Street, St Andrews KY16 9UR

01334 611709