Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Gareth Bale, Jimmy Anderson join Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm in Pro-Am event field

Gareth Bale will play alongside Daniel Brown, who made a starring major debut at The Open earlier this year, in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday.

Bale, the former Wales captain and Real Madrid forward who retired from professional football last year, makes his second appearance in the event in Scotland in the team championship where amateur players are paired with professionals in rounds across three famous courses – St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

The event is headlined by the latest tournament on the DP World Tour as the Race to Dubai reaches its crucial final four events before the end-of-season Play-Offs in the United Arab Emirates in November.

Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick, along with LIV Golf duo Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton who play on the tour for the second successive week amid their appeals against outstanding fines for defecting to the rival series last year.

Bale made his debut at the event in 2023 and underlined by golfing abilities in the first round by shooting a one-under-par 71 around the fearsome Carnoustie.

This year Bale is paired with England’s Brown, the 29-year-old ranked 167 in the world who made a spectacular entrance to major golf at Royal Troon in July when he surged into the lead at the end of the first round after a five-under 66 and ended up finishing tied 10th to cap an impressive week.

Paired together in the teams championship, Bale and Brown will first tackle St Andrews in Thursday’s first round with a 11.01am tee time when they will play in a group with Marcus Armitage and singer Tom Chaplin from Keane.

On Friday, Bale’s group includes Sky Sports pundit and fellow ex-footballer Jamie Redknapp when they will tackle Carnoustie from 9.55am, while on Saturday he will play in the same four as Netherlands and AC Milan legend Ruud Gullit at Kingsbarns.

Meanwhile, England legend and fast bowler Jimmy Anderson makes his own second appearance at the event and is teamed up with countryman Sam Bairstow. The pair are the third group off at St Andrews on Thursday morning at 9.22am.

Other sports stars in action in the pro-am include AP McCoy, Sir Ian Botham, Sir Steve Redgrave and Kelly Slater, while the world of film is represented by Michael Douglas, Bill Murray and Kathryn Newton.

McIlroy, chasing a first victory in the event, will play alongside his father Gerry and tee off at 9.11am at Carnoustie on Thursday, while Matt Fitzpatrick is again teaming up with his mum, Sue, to defend both the individual and teams titles he won in 2023.

With the professionals and their amateur playing partners split across the three famous courses for the opening three days’ play in Scotland, Sunday’s concluding round is played at St Andrews with the field reduced to the top 60 pros, including ties, and the leading 20 teams.

The DP World Tour heads to Scotland next for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where Rory McIlroy returns to action. Watch live on Thursday from midday on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and more with NOW.

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