For the first time, golfers on the Links will have a choice of yellow or white tees to play off for a trial period next season following a decision by the Links Management Committee.

The Dunhill Links Championship ended with a win for Scots golfer Paul Lawrie. The 1999 Open Champion broke his two and a half year lull since his epic triumph at Carnoustie with a fantastic birdie putt on the 18th to win the £551,528 first prize by one shot from South African Ernie Els. Had he not holed his putt the Scot would have faced Els in a sudden death play-off. Not only was there a home winner in the big event, but amateur Chris Peacock, a member of RAF Leuchars Golf Club, secured the team prize for himself and Australian Bret Rumford.

Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood will play alongside two of the biggest names in Hollywood when the $5 million Dunhill Links Championship gets under way on Thursday.

Clarke will partner Michael Douglas and Westwood is to team up with Samuel L Jackson in the inaugural celebration of links golf at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

Tennis heroes Boris Becker, Vijay Amritraj and Tom Okker are among the final list of international celebrities to join the glittering amateur field at the inaugural $5 million Dunhill Links Championship.

Also taking up the challenge of partnering a top professional over the links courses of St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns this week are rugby union greats Michael Lynagh of Australia and Morne du Plessis of South Africa.

The star of Notting Hill, Hugh Grant, enjoyed a practice round at Kingsbarns Golf Links on Monday. Grant, who plays off 15, summed up the tournament week by saying:

"For the middle-aged golf addict like myself, this is like dying and going to golfing heaven. I really loved Kingsbarns today and Ican't wait to play Carnoustie tomorrow. I've never been to St Andrews before and it was wonderful - having first arrived here in the dark, to wake up and see the Old Course outside my bedroom window. It's fantastic and i'm looking forward to the tournament so much."

A pilot golf coaching scheme for school children being launched in St Andrews is set to be the blueprint for young people's golf coaching in Scotland. Under the new scheme, youngsters from 5 to 18 years, will receive a comprehensive programme of professional tuition.

Starting in Spring 2002, the programme is a co-operative venture between St Andrews Links Trust and the Scottish Junior Golf Partnership, and if successful could be an example of the type of programme to be introduced throughout the country. Known as the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association, it will bring together existing local schemes for training young golfers, which have been developed by different organisations over the years.

Golfers planning to visit the Old Course at St Andrews will now be able to plan their round of a lifetime from home thanks to innovative 3D computer graphics technology.

A stunning virtual reality tour of the Old Course has been produced on CD by 3d Eagleview International, a pioneering software company in Ireland, working in conjunction with St Andrews Links Trust.

The line-up of amateurs who have confirmed their participation in the Dunhill Links Championship now includes Hollywood film stars Kurt Russell and Samuel L Jackson as well as Kyle MacLachlan, Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres, country and western star Clay Walker, Olympic skiing legend Franz Klammer and English cricket captain Nasser Hussein.

Golfers Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal and Thomas Bjorn have been added to the list of European professionals set to compete in the inaugural $5 million tournament in Scotland from October 18-21.

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, returns to his scene of triumph at Carnoustie when he joins a host of Scottish golfing stars who have signed up for this year's new Dunhill Links Championship, to be played from October 18-21, over The Old Course, St Andrews; the Kingsbarns Golf Links; as well as the Championship Course at Carnoustie.

Leading the list of Scottish entries are Irish Open and Volvo Masters Champion Colin Montgomerie, European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, Volvo PGA Champion Andrew Oldcorn and Great North Open Champion Andrew Coltart. Also in the field are local heroes Gary Orr, Dean Robertson, Alastair Forsyth, Gordon Brand Jnr, Stephen Gallacher and Raymond Russell.

At its September meeting, the Links Management Committee (LMC) set the green fees for all six courses on the Links for next season. The new fees will come into operation on 1 April 2002.

The online auction of Old Course Starter's box at St Andrews ended at midday on Monday 10 September reaching a price of £59,000. Bidders from the USA and Denmark fiercely competed right up to the last second with the US bidder putting in the final bid on the stroke of midday.