If you’ve been following the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, buckle up, because things are really starting to sizzle.
After two rounds, Nicolas Colsaerts and Cameron John have muscled their way to the top of the leaderboard, sharing the halfway lead at a jaw-dropping 14 under par.
It’s turning into one of those epic showdowns where strategy, skill, and a bit of luck collide.
Colsaerts, that smooth-swinging Belgian, put on an absolute clinic at Carnoustie, carding a blistering 65.
And let’s not sugarcoat it—Carnoustie can be a beast. This is the course where bogeys lurk around every corner, waiting to pounce.
But Colsaerts wasn’t having any of that. He’s been coming to this event for two decades, and that local knowledge paid off big time.
Eight birdies, just one bogey, and suddenly, he’s in prime position to bag his fourth DP World Tour title—and his first since 2019. “I’ve been coming here for 20 years,” he said, cool as you like.
It shows too, especially with those birdies on Carnoustie’s trickiest holes—the ninth and the notorious 17th.
But Colsaerts isn’t strutting off into the sunset just yet. Australian Cameron John has other ideas.
John, who’s currently ranked way down the pecking order at 1007th in the Official World Golf Ranking (seriously), followed up his first-round 62 at Kingsbarns with a solid 68 at the Old Course at St Andrews.
He did have a bit of a wobble—a double bogey on the fifth—but bounced back with birdies on the fourth, sixth, and a beauty of a 25-footer on the ninth.
His birdie at the 17th sealed his spot at the top, sharing the lead with Colsaerts.
Meanwhile, just a shot back in third place are local favourite David Law and first-round leader Darren Fichardt.
Both players are sitting pretty, ready to make their move over the weekend. And let’s not forget England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton, who both had strong showings at Kingsbarns, sitting at 11 under par.
They’re tied with Frenchman Tom Vaillant and Welshman James Ashfield, who’s making quite the splash in his professional debut.
In the team event, it’s the Scottish duo of Grant Forrest and Martin Gilbert who are leading the charge.
They’ve put together a formidable 24 under par after two rounds, setting the pace for the weekend.
As for the weather? Well, it’s the Alfred Dunhill Links, so you’ve got the usual suspects—wind, rain, maybe a little sun if you’re lucky. It’s Scotland, after all. These conditions can flip the script in a heartbeat, so you never really know what’s coming next. That’s part of the fun, right?
So, here we are after two thrilling rounds. Nicolas Colsaerts, with his years of experience, and Cameron John, the underdog with nothing to lose, are neck and neck.
Both have shown incredible form, but the big question remains—who’s going to hold their nerve and come out on top by the time Sunday rolls around?
If the first two days are anything to go by, we’re in for one heck of a finish.
