Celebrities, professional golfers and hordes of fans are descending on three Courier country golf courses today as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship gets under way.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to witness the spectacle on the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.
Among those taking part are Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Huey Lewis and Tico Torres, Dutch football legends Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit, former England player Jamie Redknapp, Scotland defender Alan Hansen and cricket knight Sir Ian Botham.
The tournament boasts a prize fund of £3.1 million. However, it is not just the winners who can look forward to an economic boost, with local bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, bars and shops all sure to enjoy a significant fillip.
The championship incorporates two competitions the individual professional tournament for the world’s leading golfers and the team event in which the pros are paired with some of the most celebrated amateur golfers.
Entrance to the championship will be free at all three courses today, tomorrow and Saturday. Charges only apply on the final day’s play at St Andrews on Sunday.
Among the professional golfers set to take part in the championship are Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, home favourite Sandy Lyle, and Ernie Els.
Meanwhile, hoping to defend the trophy he won last year will be Germany’s Martin Kaymer. He previously described his triumph at the home of golf as ”a dream come true”.
If he does successfully win for a second year running he will enter the history books as the first man to have done so.