Bale, Gullit, Pietersen, Slater among famous sports stars at St Andrews
Fifteen globally recognized stars from a wide range of sports will come together next week in St Andrews to celebrate Links golf – and, if possible, try to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Team Championship.
With a prize fund of US$5 million, the event incorporates two separate competitions - an Individual Professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and the Team Championship in which the professionals are paired with amateur golfers, creating a unique atmosphere.
Among the sportsmen is former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale who is playing for the second year running. Widely regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and one of the greatest Welsh players of all time, he is famous for some spectacular goals.
In nine years with Real he won 15 trophies, including three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues. He shot a one-under-par at Carnoustie in his first Alfred Dunhill Links last year.
The roll call of sporting celebrities who are swapping their bats, boots, scrums and surfboards for their golf clubs is impressive:
- • Cricket: Jimmy Anderson, Allan Lamb, Mark Nicholas, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan
- • Football: Gareth Bale, Ruud Gullit, Jamie Redknapp
- • NFL: John Elway
- • Racing: Sir Anthony McCoy
- • Rowing: Sir Steve Redgrave
- • Rugby: Schalk Burger Jnr, Morné du Plessis, Rob Louw
- • Surfing: Kelly Slater
Cricket provides the biggest group, five-strong, led by England’s record-breaking fast bowler Jimmy Anderson, Ashes winning captain Michael Vaughan and batters Kevin Pietersen, Allan Lamb and Mark Nicholas.
Also playing are record-breaking Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave, who has played in every Alfred Dunhill Links since 2001, Springboks Rugby World Cup winning flanker Schalk Burger Jnr, Denver Broncos John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of American Football, and 11-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater.
Slater is the amateur all the professionals want to play with as he has twice partnered winners – Simon Dyson in 2009 and Thorbjorn Olesen in 2015. The hugely popular American, recognised as the greatest ever surfer, finished third in the Team Championship in 2009 and described it as “the best week of golf of my life.”
