Major champions make strong start at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka made strong starts in Scotland.
Major champions Brooks Koepka and Matthew Fitzpatrick were among those to make a solid start on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
Koepka carded a three-under-par 69, while Fitzpatrick was one shot better with a 68 as a tightly packed leaderboard developed after the opening round.
Scotland's Michael Stewart and Australia's Jack Buchanan share the early lead on 7-under par after rounds of 65.
The DP World Tour event is contested over Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews.
Buchanan carded his 65 at Kingsbarns whilst Stewart tore round Carnoustie.
Pos | Player | Score |
1 | Michael Stewart | -7 |
1 | Jack Buchanan | -7 |
3 | Casey Jarvis | -6 |
3 | MJ Daffue* | -6 |
5 | Hennie Du Plessis | -5 |
5 | Christiaan Burke | -5 |
5 | Dean Burmester | -5 |
5 | Brandon Stone | -5 |
5 | Mikael Lindberg | -5 |
5 | Daniel Van Tonder* | -5 |
5 | Hugo Townsend | -5 |
12 | Jens Dantorp* | -4 |
12 | Andreas Halvorsen* | -4 |
12 | Sepp Straka* | -4 |
12 | Björn Hellgren* | -4 |
12 | Matt Fitzpatrick* | -4 |
12 | Joakim Lagergren | -4 |
12 | Ryan Palmer* | -4 |
12 | Sam Bairstow* | -4 |
12 | Calum Hill | -4 |
12 | Ivan Cantero* | -4 |
12 | Will Florimo* | -4 |
12 | Jose Luis Ballester | -4 |
24 | Richard Mansell* | -3 |
24 | Jaco Prinsloo | -3 |
24 | Richard Bland* | -3 |
24 | Jack Senior* | -3 |
24 | Ollie Schniederjans | -3 |
24 | Scott Jamieson | -3 |
24 | Jay Mackenzie | -3 |
24 | Marc Leishman* | -3 |
24 | Félix Mory* | -3 |
24 | Quim Vidal | -3 |
24 | Marcus Helligkilde | -3 |
24 | Austen Truslow* | -3 |
24 | Jack Thompson | -3 |
24 | Matthew Jordan | -3 |
24 | Declan O’Donovan | -3 |
24 | Jeremy Paul* | -3 |
24 | Brooks Koepka* | -3 |
24 | Charley Hoffman* | -3 |
24 | Daniel Young* | -3 |
24 | Alejandro Del Rey | -3 |
Casey Jarvis and MJ Daffue are a shot further back on 6-under, with a group of seven players on 5-under, including South Africans Hennie Du Plessis, Christiaan Burke, Dean Burmester, Brandon Stone and Daniel Van Tonder, Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg and Hugo Townsend.
Elsewhere, LIV Golf recruits Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are both making their first appearance on the European-based circuit since 2023.
Both players resigned their memberships but have now paid their outstanding fines.
Poulter opened with a level par 70 on the Old Course whilst Westwood was one better at Carnoustie.
The day also saw Scotland's Robert MacIntyre spoken to by a rules official after he got frustrated by drones towards the end of his round.
MacIntyre told reporters that the use of drones "drives me insane".
"When they're staying still, it's fine," he told reporters.
"I'm just trying to play golf, and I get the TV's everything - TV money - but, I mean, they don't need to be so close."
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