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West Australian Jason Scrivener returns to the European Tour at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with added motivation following the birth of his first child last month.
As is the case each year the Australasian influence is strong at the celebrity pro-am format played across St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in Scotland.
In addition to European Tour regulars in Scrivener, Min Woo Lee, Scott Hend, Ryan Fox, Maverick Antcliff, Dimi Papadatos, Deyen Lawson and Josh Geary, the likes of Bryden Macpherson, Travis Smyth, Brett Rankin and emerging Kiwi star Denzel Ieremia will tee it up on some of golf’s most iconic venues.
It is Scrivener’s fifth appearance in the event but his first tournament as a father after he and wife Simone welcomed Felix Jay into the world on August 24.
When Scrivener made his debut in The Open Championship at Royal St George’s in July Simone was 36 weeks pregnant, the 32-year-old spending two weeks in quarantine hoping Felix would not arrive earlier than expected.
Scrivener had three weeks at home before the family’s latest addition and is now focused on a strong finish leading up to the DP World Tour Championship in November.
“I was talking to Wade Ormsby, he just got back to Australia, and he hasn’t seen his little girl for five months. It’s just been killing him,” said Scrivener of the reality now facing him as a father on tour.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough part of tour life, for sure, but in another way it’s an extra motivation. Somebody else to play for. That’s how I’m going to treat it.”
Currently 16th in the Race to Dubai standings, a strong finish to the season should earn Scrivener a spot at the 150th Open at St Andrews next July but as much as that is a lure, he has a more immediate target in mind.
Including his runner-up finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January Scrivener has featured in the top three on the European Tour on six occasions without yet breaking through for a maiden win.
“I’ve been close in Europe a few times and just haven’t got it done,” said the 2017 NSW Open champion.
“For me that’s the big goal, to win big events. And then everything takes care of itself, really.
“I’m just looking forward to competing again. I’ve only played 30 events in the last two years which is not much golf so I’m looking forward to getting back into it.”
And what better place to do it than the Home of Golf.
“It’s an amazing place. It gives me chills every time I go there,” said Scrivener, whose best finish in the Dunhill Links is a tie for 24th in 2018.
“Walk around the 18th hole there and it’s a really cool place. I love going back. To go and play an Open there next year would be that bit more special as well.
“I’ve put in some really good work the last three weeks and I feel like I’m ready to go, so pretty excited to get back into it.”
There are just three Aussies in the field for the second event of the PGA Tour season, the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, Minjee Lee is in Korea this week for the KLPGA’s Hana Financial Bank Championship, Peter Fowler is joined by Kiwis Michael Campbell and Michael Long at the Farmfoods European Senior Masters in England and Hannah Green leads a total of five Aussies at the LPGA Tour’s Shoprite LPGA Classic in New Jersey.
Round 1 tee times AEST
European Tour
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland
Old Course
6.11pm* Jason Scrivener, Brett Rankin
7.17pm Ryan Fox, Jordan Smith
Carnoustie
7.17pm* Bryden Macpherson, Robin Roussel
8.01pm Maverick Antcliff, Tyrrell Hatton
8.12pm* Deyen Lawson, Alexander Bjork
8.23pm Min Woo Lee, Richard Bland
Kingsbarns
6.11pm Scott Hend, David Howell
6.33pm Denzel Ieremia, Haydn Porteous
8.01pm Josh Geary, Oliver Wilson
8.01pm* Dimitrios Papadatos, Ajeetesh Sandhu
8.12pm* Travis Smyth, Michael Hoey
Defending champion: Victor Perez (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Min Woo Lee
TV schedule: Live 10pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 10pm-3am Saturday; Live 10.30pm-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 503
PGA Tour
Sanderson Farms Championship
Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi
10.49pm* Cam Davis, Martin Laird, Zach Johnson
11.44pm* Brett Drewitt, Sahith Theegala, Taylor Moore
12.06am* Lucas Herbert, Seth Reeves, Quade Cummins
Defending champion: Sergio Garcia
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Lucas Herbert
TV schedule: Live 6am-9am Friday, Saturday; Live 7am-10am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503
Japan Golf Tour
Vantelin Tokai Classic
Miyoshi Country Club (West Cse), Aichi
9.20am David Bransdon, Todd Baek, Toru Taniguchi
10am Anthony Quayle, Ryuji Masaoka, Hideto Tanihara
11.10am Dylan Perry, Yuwa Kosaihira, Seungsu Han
11.20am* Todd Sinnott, Suguru Shimoke (a), Hiroshi Iwata
Defending champion: Shaun Norris (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1985, 1990), Brian Jones (1988)
Top Aussie prediction: Anthony Quayle
LPGA Tour
Shoprite LPGA Classic
Seaview (Bay Cse), Galloway, New Jersey
Aussies in the field: Hannah Green, Su Oh, Katherine Kirk, Sarah Kemp, Sarah Jane Smith
Defending champion: Mel Reid
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2013)
Top Aussie prediction:
TV schedule: Live 3am-6am Saturday; Live 4am-7am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503
Korean LPGA Tour
Hana Financial Group Championship
11.46am Minjee Lee, Choi Hye Jin, Lim Hee Jeong
11.56am Lydia Ko, Jang Ha Na, Park Hyun Kyung
Defending champion: Anna Lin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Minjee Lee
TV schedule: Live 3pm-6pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503
KPGA Korean Tour
Hyundai Insurance KJ Choi Invitational
Ferrum Club, Yeoju, Korea
12.50pm Junseok Lee
1.50pm Kevin Chun
Defending champion: Chang-woo Lee
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Junseok Lee
Ladies European Tour
Estrella Damm Ladies Open
Club de Golf Terramar, Spain
Aussies in the field: Stephanie Kyriacou, Whitney Hillier, Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Carlota Ciganda (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Stephanie Kyriacou
Challenge Tour
Swiss Challenge
Golf Saint Apollinaire, Michelbach-Le-Haut, France
4.33pm Daniel Hillier, Craig Howie, Damien Perrier
4.44pm Blake Windred, Yannik Paul, David Ravetto
Defending champion: Ricardo Santos (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Blake Windred
Legends Tour
Farmfoods European Senior Masters
Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, England
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell, Peter Fowler, Michael Long
Defending champion: Thomas Levet (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Peter Fowler
Symetra Tour
Carolina Golf Classic
Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
9.41pm Julienne Soo, Taylor Totland, Dorsey Addicks
2am Stephanie Na, Kyung Kim, Katie Yoo
2.11am Soo Jin Lee, Jean Reynolds, Carley Cox
2.55am Robyn Choi, Prima Thammaraks, Gigi Stoll
Defending champion: Ana Belac
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Stephanie Na
