25 LIV Golfers Set to Play the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links

By Staff Writer

September 29, 2026

2 min read

LoopGolf

Key takeaways

25 LIV Golf players are in the field for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, up from 16 last year.
Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are playing a DP World Tour event for the first time since January 2023, after paying their tour fines and regaining eligibility.
Major champions Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson return after debuting in the field in 2025.
Three-time champion Tyrrell Hatton headlines the LIV contingent alongside main headliners Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose.

The 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, played across St Andrews' Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, features 25 LIV Golf players in the field, its largest LIV contingent yet. The Old Course hosts the final round.

Who are the headline LIV entries?

Tyrrell Hatton, a three-time winner of the event, is the most accomplished LIV player in the field this week. Major champions Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson are back after both debuted at the tournament in 2025; Smith, the 2022 Open champion at St Andrews, finished 71st last year, while Watson finished 40th playing alongside his wife, Angie, in the team portion.

The bigger story is the return of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, playing a DP World Tour event for the first time since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January 2023. Both resigned their DP World Tour memberships in June 2022 before paying their outstanding fines this past June to restore eligibility. Westwood won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2003; Poulter finished third the following year, a shot behind playoff winner Stephen Gallacher.

Who else is in the LIV field?

Lucas Herbert plays alongside Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Elvis Smylie. David Puig, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Detry and Victor Perez have all played DP World Tour events already in 2026, while Michael La Sasso, fresh off his first LIV win at the circuit's 2026 season finale, recently advanced through DP World Tour Q-School. Dean Burmester, a 2012 champion here, and Branden Grace are event regulars, and the field also includes younger LIV players Caleb Surratt and Jose Luis Ballester plus four reserve-list entries, including Ollie Schniederjans and Wade Ormsby.