The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Top celebrities to join golfing pros for anniversary
A-list celebrities are in the line-up for this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, alongside the world’s leading golfers to celebrate the competition’s 20th anniversary.
Music personalities Ronan Keating, David Farrell from Linkin Park, Keane’s Tom Chaplin and Brad Simpson from The Vamps will share the fairways with US rock musicians Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres.
Joining them is TV star and entrepreneur Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den and American actor Greg Kinnear, star of As Good As It Gets.
This year the popular championship will take place at the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns Golf Links from September 30 until October 3.
The celebrity amateurs will play against golfing professionals Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Robert MacIntyre and many more at the end of this month.
Ronan Keating said: “It’s the most exciting date in the calendar for amateur golfers.
“You can’t play alongside Ronaldo if you’re an amateur football player, but you can play next to Lee Westwood or Justin Rose, so it’s a wonderful thing to be part of and to see the best in their games.”
Footballers Luis Figo, Ruud Gullit and Jamie Redknapp will be ditching their football boots for golf clubs on the day.
British sporting knights Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Ian Botham will join, alongside Australia’s Shane Warne and South African’s Jacques Kallis.
Northern Ireland’s sporting knight, Sir AP McCoy, the greatest ever steeplechase jockey, will also play alongside American Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan.
Playing in all Alfred Dunhill Links Championships since 2001, five-time Olympic goldmedallist rower Sir Steve Redgrave said he had some brushing up to do on his golfing skills after coaching the China Olympic rowing team in Tokyo this year.
He said: “I’ve made the cut three times and quite honoured to have done it.
“I haven’t been playing much golf so I’ve got a lot of brushing up to do.
“The pros are sometimes in awe of the amateurs, but not for their golfing! It’s such a fantastic feeling of being able to be next to the cream of the cream while they’re playing in their competition.”
Jamie Redknapp said the championship’s courses are among the “most wonderful in the world”.
“The Old Course is the most historic place to play golf, Carnoustie is an awesome championship venue and Kingsbarns is spectacularly beautiful, you can see the sea from every hole,” he added.