Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2014: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights
After the phenomenal success that was this year's Ryder Cup, European fans turned their attention to the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, one of the most lucrative and original tournaments on the Old Continent.
St. Andrews is just 40 miles away from Gleneagles, and its three courses played host to four members of the European team that beat the USA last week. Carnoustie is traditionally the highest-scoring of the three courses, but St. Andrews and Kingsbarns bring their own challenges.
A good round at Carnoustie would have given players the best chance of surviving the cut, before the top players returned to the Old Course for Sunday's final.
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Here's how it all broke down.
Day 4 Update
England's Oliver Wilson completed a remarkable success at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday, carding a final-round 70 to finish at 17-under par, one shot ahead of the chasing pack of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Richie Ramsay.
For Wilson, ranked world No. 792 coming into the week, the triumph represents a first tournament win on the European tour, three years after losing his tour card.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-round, Wilson said (per the Press Association, via The Guardian):
"I don’t have words for it. It’s been 10, 11 years coming, nine runners-up and I hadn’t done a whole lot (wrong) to lose those but nothing has really gone my way.
I know so many people had written me off and that hurt, but I just kept believing and a lot of people around me helped. I can’t thank them all enough but they know who they are. It’s pretty special.
"
Here's a look at the final leaderboard:
| Position | Name | Overall Score | Sunday’s Score | Sunday Course |
| 1 | Oliver Wilson (ENG) | -17 | -2 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Richie Ramsay (SCO) | -16 | -5 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Rory McIlroy (NIR) | -16 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) | -16 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| 5 | Chris Doak (SCO) | -15 | -6 | St. Andrews |
| T6 | Richard Sterne (RSA) | -14 | -5 | St. Andrews |
| T6 | Shane Lowry (ROI) | -14 | -5 | St. Andrews |
| T6 | Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) | -14 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| T9 | Brooks Koepka (USA) | -13 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| T9 | Chris Wood (ENG) | -13 | -2 | St. Andrews |
For the full clubhouse leaderboard, visit Europeantour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site, by clicking here.
Wilson's success looked in danger after five holes of his final round, having dropped a shot on No. 4 before three-putting on the par-five fifth to surrender his overnight three-shot lead.
However, birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 16 on the back nine saw the former Ryder Cup star reassert himself at the top of the leaderboard and claim success.
It was McIlroy who came closest to upsetting the unlikely winner, bouncing back from a double bogey on the opening hole to strike seven birdies to apply pressure on the tournament leader. A poor shot on No. 17, though, saw the Northern Irishman find the infamous "Road Hole" bunker, bogeying the hole to put an end to his challenge.
Post-round, McIlroy was full of praise for the overall winner:
Remarkably, the success represents Wilson's first tour points of the year and will now see him shoot up the world rankings, as Golf Channel researcher Justin Ray revealed:
The hope must be that the success and the increased opportunity it will now bring for Wilson allows the Englishman to get his career back on track, with the 34-year-old having once been considered a real challenger at the top level.
Per the European Tour website, Wilson earned €625,000 for his success, propelling him up to 39th in the Race for Dubai end of year standings.
The result has proved incredibly popular among his fellow professionals, with several of Europe's recently successful Ryder Cup squad taking to social media to express their delight at his success.
Sport can be a world of incredible hardship for those not right at the pinnacle of the game and, for Wilson, the past four days may just be enough to give him a second shot at the big time after a horrendous fall in recent seasons.
Day 3 Update
Oliver Wilson takes a three-shot lead into the final day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after a day of phenomenally low scoring at St. Andrews.
The Englishman shot seven-under on moving day, but there are a host of high class names that'll in pursuit and in form as the birdies continued to drop on Day 3 of this unique competition.
Here's how the leaderboard looks at the end of Day 3:
| 1 | Oliver Wilson | -15 | -7 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Tommy Fleetwood | -12 | -10 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Rory McIlroy | -12 | -8 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Alexander Levy | -12 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Raphael Jacquelin | -12 | -3 | St. Andrews |
| T6 | Chris Wood | -11 | -6 | Kingsbarns |
| T6 | Ryan Palmer | -11 | -4 | St. Andrews |
| T6 | Richie Ramsay | -11 | -4 | St. Andrews |
For the full clubhouse leaderboard, visit Europeantour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site, by clicking here.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is one of four players that are in the chasing group and after shooting his lowest round of the week with a stunning 62, the Ryder Cup star will fancy his chances of getting after Wilson on the final day.
After a couple of frustrating days, the four-time major winner took the St. Andrews course to task, producing a sensational run, per Cara Robinson:
But ever the perfectionist, you can bet McIlroy will have been disappointed with his finish to the round. He failed to birdie any of the last four holes and dropped a shot at 16; a par there and he would have been alongside Wilson in the final group of the day.
Remarkably, McIlroy's round wasn't the lowest of the day. That was an honour shared by Louis Oosthuizen—who's languishing way down in the standings—and the man who will play alongside Wilson on Day 4, Tommy Fleetwood. They both went ten-under-par for the day and the Englishman in particular has given himself an excellent chance of sampling glory on the final day.
BBC's Andrew Cotter paid tribute to the English duo leading the way:
Wilson is there to be shot at though, and the prospect of a rampant Rory charging up the leaderboard is enough to give any player on the planet the jitters. From Wilson's perspective, perhaps playing in a different group to the Northern Irishman will work in his favour.
But trailing could suit the World No. 1, who can play without any pressure or expectation. If he gets off to a hot start then McIlroy could be irrepressible around St Andrews. For the players in situ that's a frightening prospect. For the spectators in attendance, it's a tantalising one.
Day 2 Update
Strong winds and plenty of rain made life difficult on the golfers during the second day of the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, clearly favouring those playing the less technical courses of St. Andrews and Kingsbarns on Friday.
Ireland's Shane Lowry was one of the top performers on the former, while Alexander Levy and Chris Doak put in excellent performances on the latter course. It's France's Raphael Jacquelin who holds the lead going into Day 3, however, with a one-shot advantage over a host of players.
Rory McIlroy bounced back from a bumpy opening round to put himself within reach of the top 10, while Stephen Gallacher continues to be the top performer among the Ryder Cup heroes.
The clubhouse leaderboard:
| 1 | Raphael Jacquelin | -9 | 70 | Kingsbarns |
| T2 | Shane Lowry | -8 | 70 | St. Andrews |
| T2 | Padraig Harrington | -8 | 70 | Kingsbarns |
| T2 | Oliver Wilson | -8 | 72 | Kingsbarns |
| T2 | Alexander Levy | -8 | 68 | Kingsbarns |
| T6 | Chris Doak | -7 | 67 | Kingsbarns |
| T6 | Richie Ramsay | -7 | 68 | Kingsbarns |
| T8 | Gregory Bourdy | -6 | 71 | Kingsbarns |
| T8 | Stephen Gallacher | -6 | 71 | Kingsbarns |
| T8 | George Coetzee | -6 | 67 | Kingsbarns |
For the full clubhouse leaderboard, visit Europeantour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site, by clicking here.
Jacquelin continued his fine form with around of two-under 70 on Kingsbarns, leaving him nine-under par and at the top of the leaderboard. The Frenchman looked like he would fall just short before back-to-back birdies on the final two holes saw him surge past four players who were tied for first.
Lowry's up and down round on Friday perhaps best illustrated the tricky conditions in Scotland for Round 2. Starting on the back nine, the Irishman opened his round with a birdie and managed five more, nearly offset by four bogeys, including three in four holes.
A round of two-under 70 still gave him the clubhouse lead at eight-under, as shared by the European Tour:
He didn't find the fairway once in 16 tries but managed a solid 14/18 on his scrambles, keeping him firmly in contention for the title. Saturday's round will take him to Carnoustie, however, easily the most difficult of the three courses. Of the current golfers in the top 10, not a single one played the course on Friday.
Compatriot Padraig Harrington finished the day tied with Lowry on the leaderboard, carding two-under 70 on Kingsbarns, by far the easiest course on the day. He told the European Tour's live blog of the event he's happy with the shape of his putting game:
"I'm putting well. I had a number of three-putts today but they hadn't cut the greens and that got in my head a bit. My mental game seems to be quite strong too so they are both good at the moment. No doubt it's nice to come back somewhere you have won before and it's nice to be back with my long-time partner JP (McManus) and having that team aspect kind of brings me along a bit.
"
Like Lowry, Harrington failed to find the fairway throughout the day, but 15/18 on his scrambles left him in a solid position.
Levy and Oliver Wilson also ended the day eight-under, making for a crowded group near the top of the leaderboard.
Gallacher is two shots back of the leaders after a round of two-under 70. As shared by the European Tour, he briefly joined the pack of leaders before a double bogey on the seventh hole knocked him back:
McIlroy improved his form dramatically compared to Thursday but fell victim to a late bogey on the seventh hole, knocking him back out of the top 20. An eagle on the 16th started a decent run for the Northern Irishman, who gained a lot of ground on the pack and looks like a safe bet to make the cut.
A five-under 67 at Kingsbarns is a solid score for anyone, and with St. Andrews on the schedule for Saturday, McIlroy has the opportunity to put himself into excellent position going into Sunday's final round.
Day 1 Update
Oliver Wilson stunned the crowd by producing an incredible eight-under 64 on Carnoustie, grabbing the top spot on the leaderboard after the opening day.
The Ryder Cup heroes predictably struggled during the first round, with their preparations for this tournament less than optimal. All four played Carnoustie on Thursday, with Stephen Gallacher having the best round with a four-under 68.
Rory McIlroy stole the show with a massive drive, but a one-over 73 puts him in early trouble ahead of the weekend.
| 1 | Oliver Wilson | -8 | 64 | Carnoustie |
| 2 | Raphael Jacquelin | -7 | 65 | Carnoustie |
| T3 | Padraig Harrington | -6 | 66 | Carnoustie |
| T3 | Shane Lowry | -6 | 66 | Kingsbarns |
| T5 | Ryan Evans | -5 | 67 | Kingsbarns |
| T5 | Robert Rock | -5 | 67 | St. Andrews |
| T5 | Jamie McLeary | -5 | 67 | Kingsbarns |
| T5 | Eduardo De La Riva | -5 | 67 | Kingsbarns |
| T5 | Adrian Otaegui | -5 | 67 | St. Andrews |
| T5 | Gregory Bourdy | -5 | 67 | Carnoustie |
For the full clubhouse leaderboard, visit Europeantour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site, by clicking here.
England's Wilson holds a one-shot lead over France's Raphael Jacquelin, as those playing Carnoustie found some unexpected success on Day 1.
Wilson scored four birdies on the front nine and five on the back nine, with his only blemish coming on the 17th hole. Today's Golfer was very impressed:
As shared by the event's official Twitter feed, Wilson even impressed himself:
Jacquelin started on the back nine and charged to the top of the leaderboard with an eagle on the 14th, and three more birdies on the front holes gave him an excellent seven-under 65.
Playing Carnoustie, he believes anything under par is a good score, and seven-under is something special:
Gallacher finds himself just outside the top 10 after an opening 68, playing a bit of a roller-coaster round on Thursday. The Scot followed up an eagle on the 12th with a bogey, before scoring another eagle on the next hole and settling for another bogey on the 15th.
A consistent front nine with two birdies gave him a strong score, however, and Gallacher clearly wasn't worried, via the European Tour:
McIlroy's highlight of the day came in the form of a massive 390-yard drive, but the Northern Irishman had little reason to celebrate. With two bogeys and just a single birdie, he ended his round one-over.
The 25-year-old is playing with his father Gerry as his amateur partner, and he'd love to qualify for Sunday's final, giving his dad the chance to play the St. Andrews course on his 55th birthday.
McIlroy's score came on the difficult Carnoustie course, however, giving him plenty of chances to right the ship in the coming days.
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