There are two European Tour events with Alfred Dunhill in the title. In chronological order for 2018, first was the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, then the Alfred Dunhill Championship. They're two completely different tournaments in two very different places on Earth.
Let's explain the difference between the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Who is Alfred Dunhill?
Alfred Dunhill is a London-based luxury goods brand, making menswear, leather goods, and accessories, ranging from off-the-shelf to custom to bespoke tailoring and manufacturing. The company was founded in 1893.
Dunhill Links vs. Dunhill Championshp
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played in Scotland in October. It's the European Tour's answer to the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The pro-am field plays three rounds, one on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie Golf Links. Then a cut is made to the top pro-am teams and the top pros in the field for a final round at the Old Course to determine a winner. That event has a $5 million purse, one of the richest on the European Tour outside the majors and World Golf Championships events. The event typically draws a strong field of European Tour players, and several PGA Tour stars make the trek, too.
For a long time, the tournament was just called the Dunhill Links Championship. However, in the last few years, the event has added Alfred on, so the brand is completely represented in the name.
The Alfred Dunhill Championship is played this year in December. Sometimes, it has been played in January to start a new year or November to wind up a season. It's played in South Africa as a co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour, which is based in South Africa. This event has a much lower, EUR 1.5 million purse. This field typically is loaded with the top South Africans in the world, including Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and the like. Up-and-coming and rank-and-file European Tour players compete in this event, too.
The Alfred Dunhill Championship has typically been played at Leopard Creek in Kruger National Park in Malalane, South Africa.
From 1985-2000, Dunhill also sponsored the Alfred Dunhill Cup (originally the Dunhill Cup), which was a three-man team event dubbed the world team championship of the European Tour.
