Meronk wins Dunhill Links as world No. 979 Stewart ties fourth
Adrian Meronk won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on 4 October with a 20-under-par total, two shots clear at St Andrews. BBC
That score means 20 shots below the expected number for the three rounds across the links courses. Casey Jarvis and Niklas Norgaard shared second on 18-under. Michael Stewart and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth on 17-under.
Stewart was the story of the weekend. The 36-year-old Scot arrived ranked world No. 979 and left with the biggest result of his life. It was only his sixth start on the DP World Tour, Europe's main men's circuit, after missing the cut in his previous five.
He started fast. Stewart shot 65 at Carnoustie on 1 October to share the first-round lead with Matt Fitzpatrick. That round included an eagle at the par-5 12th, where he holed out two shots under par in one hole. He followed it with a 71 at Kingsbarns on the second day.
The Dunhill Links is different. Professionals rotate over three coastal courses, including Carnoustie and the Old Course at St Andrews, before the final round back at St Andrews. The 2026 edition was the 25th running of the event, the longest-running title sponsor on the European Tour and DP World Tour.
Days earlier, Stewart had finished runner-up at Duddingston on the Tartan Pro Tour, a Scottish circuit, for £2,500. He held on through the weekend to finish one shot ahead of defending champion Robert MacIntyre. His previous best-known major result was tied 52nd at The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023.
What makes this stand out is the choice it forces. A top-10 finish earned Stewart a place in the Spanish Open the following week. That event clashes directly with the Tartan Pro Tour-concluding Gleneagles Masters.
Stewart is second in the Tartan Pro Tour standings going into Gleneagles. That position would earn promotion to the Challenge Tour, Europe's second tier, for next year. He said his preference was to play Gleneagles to try to secure that card.
He called St Andrews without doubt the best week of his career. For a player who had never made a weekend on tour, it was hard to argue.
