Scores of celebrities will swing into action at venues across Courier Country today at the start of this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Stars from the world of entertainment and sport will tee off at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie alongside some of golf’s biggest names for four days of intense competition.
Among those putting their skills to the test on some of the world’s most famous courses are actor Bill Murray, whose links to golf are renowned thanks to the film Caddyshack, musician Huey Lewis and former US vice-president Dan Quayle.
In this Olympic and Paralympic year, two of the biggest names of London 2012 will be looking to show that they are equally competent on the golf course than in the pool or on the track.
The most decorated Olympian of all-time, swimmer Michael Phelps, will be competing for the first time at the Dunhill, joined by South African Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius.
The sprinter, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, will ditch his famous carbon ”blades” for more traditional prosthetic limbs when he begins his championship at Carnoustie this morning.
He will be playing beside Ryder Cup vice-captain Paul McGinley, who is tipped to succeed Jose Maria Olazabal when the event comes to Gleneagles in 2014.
Eighteen-times gold medallist Phelps will join English star Paul Casey.
The event is the first since the dramatic Ryder Cup at Medinah, with three of Europe’s heroes, Martin Kaymer, Peter Hanson and Scotland’s own Paul Lawrie, taking to the links.
Big-hitting American Dustin Johnson has also travelled across the Atlantic to play this week.
The Dunhill is a pro-am event, with 168 teams, comprising of one professional and one amateur, contesting the first three days at each of the venues.
Sunday will see the leading 60 professionals and top 20 teams compete for a $5 million prize fund.