GALAXY OF STARS TO PLAY IN ALFRED DUNHILL

LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP IN SCOTLAND THIS WEEK

Some of the most enthusiastic and well-known amateur golfers will join the world’s greatest golf stars this week in one of the finest fields ever assembled for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.

The latest names from the world of entertainment to confirm they are playing are Hugh Grant, the popular British actor, Ray Romano, star of Everybody Loves Raymond, George Lopez, US sitcom writer and actor, Don Felder of the Eagles, co-writer of Hotel California, John O’Hurley, who played J. Peterman in Seinfeld, Maury Povich, presenter of the US talk show Maury, and Spanish actress and model Ines Sastre.

They will share centre stage with top golfers like World No 5 Ernie Els, Open champion Padraig Harrington, Scottish stalwart Colin Montgomerie, Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open champion, Steve Elkington, winner of the 1995 US PGA championship and Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo - a mix which gives the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship its unique character.

Also playing will be Dennis Hopper, Samuel L. Jackson, Ronan Keating, Huey Lewis, Kyle MacLachlan and Tico Torres, along with three of Britain’s greatest sporting knights – Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Steve Redgrave.

They lead a strong locker room of sports stars including football legends Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Matthew Le Tissier, Wimbledon tennis hero Boris Becker, former cricket captains Michael Vaughn of England and Steve Waugh of Australia, South African rugby giant Morné du Plessis, American Football’s renowned running back Marcus Allen and Austria’s Olympic gold medal skier Franz Klammer.

The amateurs will be joining a world-class field of professionals. In addition to Els and Irishman Harrington, who will be bidding for an unprecedented third Dunhill title, there is a strong line-up from the World top 25, including Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Niclas Fasth, Trevor Immelman, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, plus crowd-pleasers like Ian Poulter and 2003 champion Lee Westwood, winner of the recent British Masters at The Belfry.

Harrington said: “I’m still reliving all the great moments from the Open Championship and it will be an enormous thrill to return to Carnoustie for the Dunhill. It will bring back so many exciting memories. I think the fact that we play Carnoustie every year in the Dunhill, may have benefited the European Tour players in The Open as we all know the course pretty well.

“I always enjoy the Dunhill. I find it good fun playing with the amateurs, but it’s also one of the most important and prestigious tournaments on the European Tour. My victory last year played a crucial part in winning my first European Tour Order of Merit title. I am looking to come back and make it a hat-trick of Dunhill victories.”

The tournament, conceived as a celebration of links golf, is played over three of the world’s best known and respected links courses - The Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links - from Thursday, October 4 – Sunday, October 7.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has a unique format. With a prize fund of US$5 million, it incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and a team event in which they are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers.

A total of 168 teams of one professional and one amateur contest the first three rounds, with one round being played at each of the three courses in rotation. Two competitions are played concurrently – individual professional and team. The team score will be the best net score of the two players at each hole.

After 54 holes the field reduces to the leading 60 professionals and ties, plus the 20 leading teams, all of whom play the final round over the Old Course at St Andrews. Play will be in four-ball groups and in order to accommodate as many players as practical, all four rounds will start from both the first and tenth tees at all courses. Entrance to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will be FREE at all three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A ticket price of £15 (concessionary £10) will be charged for the final day’s play over the Old Course on Sunday, October 7.

Entry for under 16s and students is free. Tickets are available through the ticket hotline on 0870 010 9021 or at the entrance gates. There is free parking for spectators and a free shuttle bus service will be in operation between the courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.