2025 Alfred Dunhill Links: Rock legends ready to swing on the St Andrews fairways

A ‘super group’ of celebrated rock stars, past and present, are among the amateur golfers playing in this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in October.

Keane’s Tom Chaplin, Linkin Park’s Dave Farrell, music giant Ronan Keating and Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics, will be sharing the fairways with cult US rock legends Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres, who both played in the very first Dunhill Links back in 2001.

Joining them, and swapping the film set for three of the greatest Links courses in the world, are actors Matthew Goode, who appeared in Downton Abbey, and Hollywood star Kathryn Newton.

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.

Tico Torres said: “It’s a family, really, and I treasure all the friendships I’ve made over the years. Getting to meet all the top professional golfers has been great. I remember the first time I played here I was paired with Ernie Els.”

Tom Chaplin, singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of British rock band Keane, which has sold more than 13 million records, began to play when his grandfather, who was a golf mad headmaster, designed a course in the grounds of the school.

This is his eighth Alfred Dunhill Links and he says: “Playing St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns is the greatest honour any amateur golfer can have. Three very different tests at stunning and historic venues. I can perform at Wembley without a problem, but I’ve never felt as frightened as when I teed up on the 1st at St Andrews in 2015 and hit the ball so far right it nearly went into the sea.”

As a talented high school golfer, Kathryn Newton from Miami, Florida, was eyeing a career in the sport. She initially wanted to play as an amateur in the 2012 US Women's Open, but had to withdraw from the qualifier after getting her first ever lead in the film Paranormal Activity 4 which set her on a totally different path.

Since then her starring roles have included HBO mystery drama Big Little Lies and Netflix drama The Society. She also starred as Marvel’s newest superhero in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania and appeared in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Blockers and Freaky. Last year she starred in Universal Pictures Abigail and Focus Features Lisa Frankenstein, and coming up she will star in Ready Or Not 2 and Lionsgate The Devil’s Mouth.

She said: “It’s an honour to play in this tournament and brings me back to the reason I play the game. A Championship like the Dunhill really opens up my world and makes me realise I’m so lucky to be playing golf. There’s an elevated energy to the Dunhill and I really want to perform well.

“As an ambassador for the R&A I also want to grow the game and it makes me more determined to encourage more people to play, especially girls.”

England’s Tyrrell Hatton will be back at St Andrews to defend his Alfred Dunhill Links title, with the goal of becoming the first ever golfer to win the Championship four times. Hatton sank a four-foot putt for a birdie three on the 18th to beat Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts last year, adding another victory to his back-to-back Dunhill successes in 2016 and 2017.

Among many celebrated golf stars who have graced the fairways over the years are Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Sir Nick Faldo, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Ryan Fox, Billy Horschel and Tony Finau.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is a celebration of Links golf, played over the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, three of the greatest Links courses in the world, from October 2 – 5, culminating in the final day on the Old Course.

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.