Hollywood star Kathryn Newton to play In Alfred Dunhill Links

September 26, 2022

American actress Kathryn Newton is to make her debut this week in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.

Kathryn was a golfing prodigy at high school, but decided to give up thoughts of a career in golf to pursue her acting dreams. This week she will be teeing off at the Home of Golf in one of the most prestigious events in Europe.

Kathryn is best known for her starring roles as Abigail Carlson in the HBO mystery drama series Big Little Lies and Allie Pressman in the Netflix drama series The Society. She recently starred in Freaky, Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and she will play Cassie Lang in the upcoming Marvel superhero film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

She said: “To be able to play St Andrews, the most historic course in the world, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, in a fully-fledged professional event will be a wonderful moment for me and I am really going to enjoy it.”

Kathryn has been golfing since she was a child. She began playing tournaments at the age of eight. She was a member of the Notre Dame High School girls golf team and helped the team to win three championships. She played to a plus-two handicap.

She initially wanted to play in the 2012 US Women's Open, but she withdrew after getting the lead role in Paranormal Activity 4. for which she received the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film. She abandoned plans to go to the University of Southern California, where she would have played golf, to pursue her acting career.

With a prize fund of US$5 million, the Alfred Dunhill Links 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, including Kathryn Newton, which creates a unique atmosphere. The Championship, a celebration of Links golf, is played over the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, from September 29 – October 2.

Defending champion Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, will be up against some stiff opposition. Also playing are Major champions Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Francesco Molinari, US PGA star Billy Horschel and two-time winners Padraig Harrington and Tyrrell Hatton.