Winners celebrate at Dunhill Schools Challenge
Cameron Russell, an S6 pupil at Morrison’s Academy in Crieff, and 15-year-old Jack Small, from Kinghorn in Fife, were the overall scratch prize winners of year’s Alfred Dunhill Schools Golf Challenge. The competition was played over two weekends concluding yesterday in St Andrews.
17-year-old Cameron carded an impressive 69 on Carnoustie’s Buddon Course, played on 21 September. Meanwhile Jack won last Sunday’s event, played at the Duke’s Course, St Andrews, shooting a score of 71.
Cameron Russell, who plays off a plus two handicap, is a member of Crieff Golf Club. After competing at junior level, he was invited to join the Perth and Kinross Men’s County Team earlier this year. Among his golfing highlights was victory in last summer’s Forth Valley ‘Race to Gleneagles’ competition
Speaking after yesterday’s competition, he said: “I’m delighted to have won the scratch title at this year’s Alfred Dunhill Schools event. I’ve really been enjoying my golf at the moment and was excited to be selected for my local county men’s team earlier in the year. I hope to take it as far as I can with this sport, on to university or college level.”
Meanwhile, Jack Small, an S4 pupil at Kirkcaldy’s Balwearie High School and member of Aberdour Golf Club, currently plays off a handicap of plus one. A regular competitor in tournaments across Fife, he also plays on the Junior Tour Scotland and finished in the top four in last summer’s championship held at Arbroath.
Commenting following his scratch prize win, Jack said: “I was really pleased with my game today and it was great to play on this course in such good conditions. I have played golf ever since I can remember and I would love to keep progressing in the sport to the point where I land a scholarship with a US university.”
Nearly 200 aspiring golfers representing schools from Fife, Tayside and other regions of Scotland signed up for this year’s competitions which Alfred Dunhill has proudly supported for more than 20 years.
Other winners at yesterday’s competition in St Andrews were St Leonard’s students Max Sander and Hannah Schlagboehmer who won the Senior Boys and Senior Girls titles respectively. Ross Buttar from Aberfeldy’s Breadalbane Academy won the Junior Boys competition while another St Leonard’s pupil, Annie Pennycook, took the Junior Girls title.
Further winners from last week’s Carnoustie competition included Ewan Arthur from Carnoustie High School who took honours in the Senior Boys category. Kornelia Zarychta of Crieff High School won the Junior Girls category while Hollie Dolan from Dundee’s Greenfield Academy won the Senior Girls competition, and High School of Dundee pupil Aaron Oparka secured the Junior Boys title.
The winners of both Schools Golf competitions will be invited to receive their prizes at the Old Course, St Andrews on the final day of this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday, October 5. They will also be invited to attend an exclusive golf clinic on the Championship practice ground with the internationally renowned golf coach Robert Baker.
Baker said: “I would like to congratulate all the competitors involved in the 2025 Schools Golf Challenge and I look forward to welcoming the winners to this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship coaching clinic.
“Since the inaugural competition in 2001, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has been proud to support young, Scottish-based school golfers. The Schools Golf event encourages young people to participate in competitive play providing an important boost for the future of the sport in Scotland by maximising coaching and mentoring opportunities.”
This year’s Alfred Dunhill Schools’ Challenge events, open to school-aged boys and girls across Scotland, precedes this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which takes place from October 2 – 5 at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course, St Andrews.
Three-time Alfred Dunhill Links champion Tyrrell Hatton will be back to defend his title along with the ever-popular Tommy Fleetwood, two-time runner-up for the individual professional title and winner of the 2019 Team Championship with Ogden Phipps.
Among other crowd-pleasing golfers who have announced they are playing are Major Champions Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen plus popular US star Tony Finau and Scotland’s own Bob MacIntyre. Also playing is China’s Li Haotong, who excited the galleries at Royal Portrush in this year’s Open Championship with his daring play.
They will be joining one of the strongest international fields in the history of the event, including Major Champions Matt Fitzpatrick, Pádraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson.
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 which creates a unique atmosphere.
For the first three days entry is FREE, tickets are not needed. Only tickets for the final day, Sunday, October 5, on the Old Course, need to be purchased. To purchase tickets, visit: www.alfreddunhilllinks.com/tickets.
This is the 40th year that Alfred Dunhill has supported golf at St Andrews – first in the Alfred Dunhill Cup from 1985, then in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship from 2001. During that time, many millions have been raised for charity.
In June 2011 the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation was established as the official Foundation of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The Foundation is committed to developing young amateur golfers in Scotland and South Africa and also supports the University of St Andrews and the St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, which refurbishes and preserves historical monuments in the town.
