Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Kevin Pietersen will be exchanging cricket bats for golf clubs when they compete in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, which will feature half of Europe’s Ryder Cup players as well as team captain Darren Clarke.
All three cricketers, who all sport single-figure handicaps, are self-proclaimed “golf nuts” now that they have discovered the joys of hitting a little white ball as well as a shiny red one.
They are part of the tournament’s line-up of celebrities who will be teeing up in the pro-am that runs alongside the $5 million (about R68m main event and features some of the world’s top golfers.
This year the Links Championship, which has close ties to South Africa, includes a blue chip professional line-up of Major winners including current Masters champion Danny Willett, and fellow members of the European Ryder Cup team in Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Pieters and Lee Westwood, plus captain Clarke – who, after the completion of the Cup at Hazeltine in Minnesota today, will be flying straight straight to St Andrews.Besides Willett and Carke, other Major champions in the field include Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie, Trevor Immelman, Angel Cabrera and YE Yang. Also playing is former winner and world No 13 Branden Grace who shot a sizzling, 12-under-par European Tour record-equalling 60 at Kingsbarns en route to victory in the 2012 edition of this tournament.
Hollywood stars Jamie Dornan, Andy Garcia, Matthew Goode, Hugh Grant, Greg Kinnear and Kyle MacLachlan are among celebrities who will be sharing the fairways with the pros.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, first held in 2001 thanks to the efforts, enthusiasm and generosity of South African golf benefactor and sponsor Johann Rupert, runs from Thursday to Sunday.
It is held over three of the world’s great links courses – the iconic Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie (‘Car-nasty’ when the wind howls down the fairways!) and hauntingly beautiful Kingsbarns which hugs the Kingdom of Fife coastline.In June 2011 the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation was established as the official Foundation of the Championship.
The Foundation is committed to developing young amateur golfers in Scotland and South Africa, including the SA Golf Development Board, and also supports the University of St Andrews and the S Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, which refurbishes and preserves historical monuments in the ancient Royal Burgh.lWinter will be in Scotland for this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.