Rory McIlroy and his dad to play in Alfred Dunhill Links in St Andrews

Just as important for the world No.3, he will be partnering father Gerry in the Team Championship, an event which they came so close to winning in 2019.

Rory said: “I’m really looking forward to playing. It’s one of the most long-standing events on the DP World Tour and one I really enjoy, especially when I partner with my Dad.

“I’ll be taking the Team Championship just as seriously as the professional event and it would be a special experience if we could win together.”

Team McIlroy came within a whisker of winning in 2019 when they ended on 39-under-par, but were beaten on countback by Tommy Fleetwood and Ogden Phipps.

Rory has enjoyed a brilliant 2022 in the Major Championships, finishing third in the Open on the Old Course at St Andrews last month, runner-up in The Masters, fifth in the US Open and eighth in the US PGA Championship. He also won the Canadian Open.

The four-time Major champion has had a close relationship with the Alfred Dunhill Links over the years. In 2007, at 18, he became the youngest player to earn a European Tour card from tournament play when he finished third.

Rory said: “The support I’ve had from the Scottish and visiting fans has always been fantastic and I have had some wonderful memories on these courses. St Andrews is a very special place for me. When I got my Tour card there back in 2007, it was a week that changed my life.”

McIlroy will head a world-class field in the event, a celebration of Links golf, played over the Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, from September 29 to October 2.

With a prize fund of US$5 million, the Alfred Dunhill Links incorporates two separate competitions – an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and the Team Championship in which the professionals are paired with amateur golfers which creates a unique atmosphere.

In June 2011 the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation was established as the official Foundation of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The Foundation is committed to developing young amateur golfers in Scotland and South Africa, and also supports the University of St Andrews and the St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, which refurbishes and preserves historical monuments in the town.