This week the DP World Tour heads to Scotland for one of its most popular events with the 21st staging of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Danny Willett returns to defend his title at the festival of links golf held over Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews, with Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick headlining a stellar field also containing World Number 15 Billy Horschel, recently crowned BMW PGA Championship winner Shane Lowry and tournament specialists Tyrrell Hatton and Pádraig Harrington.
If you have not done so already, you can sign up now to the official Fantasy game of the DP World Tour and submit your six-man team before round one on Thursday as the ‘September Challenge’, providing fans the opportunity to win some great prizes, continues: https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com.
Favourite - Rory McIlroy
There is rarely an event anywhere in the world at the moment where McIlroy is not the favourite when he tees it up, and with good reason. In eight DP World Tour appearances this season, the Northern Irishman has finished outside the top ten just once when he was 12th at the year's opener in Abu Dhabi. He has finished runner-up at the Masters Tournament and the BMW PGA Championship, while on the PGA TOUR he won twice en route to claiming the FedEx Cup. A three-time runner-up at this event and renowned links player, McIlroy will also have the incentive of winning the team event alongside dad Gerry.
Form horse - Danny Willett
"I seem to do this a lot actually, go up and down," said Willett after lifting the trophy last season. Well it looks he could be on the up again. He had to wait nine months to claim another worldwide top ten but since July he has finished ninth at the Omega European Masters and was only denied victory at the PGA TOUR's Fortinet Championship recently after a three-putt and Max Homa chip-in on the 72nd hole. He took that disappointment in his stride and with a second and a fifth to go with his win at this event, you can bet Willett will be playing with a smile on his face this week.
Wild card - Pádraig Harrington
The Irishman would become the oldest winner in DP World Tour history should he lift the trophy on Sunday but that is no reason to count him out. Harrington is a two-time winner at this event and finished in the top ten as recently as 2018. A top ten in Dubai at the start of the year shows he can still mix it in top-class fields and he has won three times on the PGA TOUR Champions since June, including a Major. A confident Harrington on a links layout is a dangerous Harrington.
