Unity at the ‘Home of Golf’

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 just concluded and Tyrell Hatton had to birdie the 72nd hole, St Andrews’ 18th, to win by one over Nicolas Colsaerts.

The final pairing traded shots throughout the day only to end up tied with three holes to go. After nearly driving the 18th green, both players had to rely on their short game to seal the win. The pair hit almost identical drives, Hatton just a few yards back of Colsaerts.

Opting to hit a bump and run up the steep bump at the front of the green, Hattons shot ended up about three feet away for birdie. Colsaerts, just below the green opted to putt up the bank, leaving his attempt eight feet short. After a Colsaerts miss and Hatton converting his birdie putt, the Englishman won his record third Alfred Dunhill Championship.

While the leaders provided the action and the celebrities in the annual pro-am supplied the sparkle, a certain flight had people talking. Those of Billy Horschel-PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan pairing alongside the PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan-Dean Burmester team on Day 1; and on the second round the Al-Rumayyan-Burmester with Rory and Gerry McIlroy flight.

Now, pros teaming up with amateurs is nothing new. But the head of the PGA Tour with the boss of LIV and PGA Tour poster boy McIlroy with the LIV backer isn’t your everyday variety.

Now, this sort of grouping isn’t a coincidence, it’s a statement. While talks between the mainstream tours and PIF have been going on for over a year, they still haven’t reached a definitive middle ground — at least not one that has been made public.

Understandably, the secrecy has made more than a few professionals uncomfortable. Add to that the sizeable contingent from LIV in this year’s Dunhill Links (14 LIV players teed it up), seems to point to a concerted effort of bringing the factions together. Is it a sign of unity? Not just yet, I think.

In a discussion between commentators Nick Daugherty and Rich Beem on the controversial pairings, Billy Horschel’s take on it was discussed. Horschel stated that while he was against LIV in the beginning and while he “can hold a grudge as good as anybody”, as time has passed, his stance has eased up a little bit.

Like golf fans, the pros also want a unified professional golf tour, somewhere the best come together to compete and earn accordingly. The resistance comes from the sense of injustice for those who stayed loyal and said no to ridiculous amounts of cash to play for the other side.

A sort of reparation must be in place, and some sort of penalty for those who jumped ship. On the other side of the coin, those who joined LIV just did what professionals ought to do, and do so in any other sport — go where the big bucks are.

The events during the Dunhill Links point towards the right direction, that’s for sure. We all want to go back to the way it was, just with more money.

The details, the remaining resistance, and the sense of fairness are what need to be ironed out. Are we getting closer? Looks like it. How close though, is still anybody’s guess.