Nick Dougherty won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and picked up prize money of £400,000 After a nervous, bogey-bogey, start on the final day at the Old Course, St. Andrews, Dougherty finished with a final round of 71 and an 18 under par aggregate score. This was enough to leave him two shots clear of Justin Rose and three clear of Rory McIlroy. The Dunhill trophy is only Dougherty’s second win, having won the Singapore Masters, two years ago.

Justin Rose’s second place closed the gap on Padraig Harrington for the European Tour’s Order of Merit(about £21,000 behind) while the emerging talent, McIlroy secured his tour card for next year, in only his second tournament as a professional, meaning he is the youngest player to have done this since Sergio Garcia. How I’m going to enjoy following his progress through the professional ranks.

Ernie Els continued to discover something like his old form and was in contention for much of the final round, however his push for glory came to an abrupt end on the 17th hole. Incredibly, he caught the wrong side of a slope and putted into the bunker, which left him with a sequence of shots which read: putt, bunker-shot, 3 more putts!

Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie go on to the HSBC, World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, which begins tomorrow.

One of the more unusual tournaments of the year is the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The multi-venue event which has prize money of £2.5million is played on three courses; Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St. Andrews. There are 168 Pros taking part, who have each been paired with an amateur, including famous names such as Bill Murray (lock up the buggies), Samuel L Jackson, Dennis Hopper (very Hollywood as he puffed on a cigar before his first swing) and Hugh Grant, to name but a few.

Sixty Pros and 20 amateurs will make the third round cut to play a final round, back at St. Andrews. The whole event makes for an eclectic mix of playing styles and dress sense, with some of the celebs providing an injection of good humor and antics along the course.

The standout on day one was Samuel L Jackson. Anyone who can make a Kangol hat, worn backwards, look cool, is always going to look stylish and at ease in their finest golfing apparel. In this case that meant bright red trousers and a lime green, blue and yellow jumper.

The event also marks the return of Padraig Harrington to the scene of his summer’s British Open success and is in fact his first appearance in Europe since then. In the early stages of the second round, the pace is currently being set by Hennie Otto. The 31-year-old, South African, followed a fine six-under 66 in his opening round at Carnoustie yesterday, by moving to a nine-under total after four holes on the Old Course at St. Andrews.

As well as the overall winner I will being keeping an eye on the highest placed celebrity.