Why Dermot Desmond is missing from the golf course at St Andrews today

Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond will not be taking part in the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday, despite the attention surrounding Saturday’s protest involving the businessman.

Desmond was among the players competing in the third round of the prestigious tournament when an unusual incident unfolded on the course. However, his absence from Sunday’s action is not connected to the protest, with the Irish businessman simply failing to make the required cut for the final round.

Protest interrupts Desmond’s round

Desmond was playing alongside American professional golfer Davis Bryant during Saturday’s third round when the match was briefly disrupted at the 15th hole.

A number of tennis balls were thrown onto the green, each carrying an image of Desmond’s face with a red line drawn across it. The protest was understood to be an expression of anger from a section of the Celtic support towards the club’s major shareholder.

The incident immediately attracted attention, particularly because Desmond was present on the green when the tennis balls landed.

The protest came amid ongoing frustration among some Celtic supporters over the direction of the club and the role played by the club’s major shareholder.

Celtic responds strongly

Dermot Desmond at St Andrews

Later that evening, Celtic issued a lengthy statement addressing the incident.

The club condemned the protest in extremely strong terms, making clear that it believed the actions had gone beyond what could reasonably be considered acceptable criticism.

Celtic said a line had been crossed and strongly criticised those who had organised and carried out the demonstration.

The statement, which ran to almost 1,000 words, also claimed that the people behind the protest had brought shame upon the name of the club.

That response added another layer to an already heated situation, particularly given that Desmond himself had been directly involved in the incident while participating in a major sporting event.

However, despite the controversy surrounding his presence at St Andrews, there is another much simpler reason why he will not be returning to the course on Sunday.

Desmond failed to make the cut

Desmond’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship campaign ended after Saturday’s third round because he and Bryant did not qualify for the final round.

The competition has a strict qualification process, with only the leading 20 players progressing to Sunday’s final round.

Desmond and Bryant finished their three rounds tied in 112th position on 15 under par.

That score was nowhere near enough to secure a place in the final group of players.

To put the difference into perspective, the score required to make the Sunday cut was 26 under par. Desmond and Bryant were therefore 11 shots away from the mark needed to continue into the final stage of the competition.

As a result, Desmond’s involvement in the tournament was already over before Sunday’s final round began.

Bryant continues without Desmond

While Desmond’s tournament came to an end, his professional partner was able to continue.

Bryant successfully made the professional cut and was scheduled to tee off at 9:51am on Sunday.

That means the American golfer remained involved in the competition even though his amateur partner was no longer eligible to take part.

The contrasting fortunes mean that Bryant had the opportunity to continue competing at St Andrews, while Desmond had to watch the final round from elsewhere.

Therefore, anyone assuming that Desmond had decided to withdraw from Sunday’s golf because of Saturday’s protest would be mistaken.

His absence had already been determined by his score.

No connection to the protests

The timing of Desmond’s departure from the competition may make the situation appear connected to the demonstration, particularly after the tennis-ball incident received widespread attention.

However, the two events are separate.

Desmond completed his third-round appearance on Saturday, and his failure to finish inside the required top 20 meant he could not participate in Sunday’s final round.

The protest may have created an uncomfortable moment for the Celtic shareholder, but it did not determine his participation in the final day of the championship.

His performance simply did not meet the qualifying standard.

An eventful weekend for Desmond

It has nevertheless been an eventful weekend for the Celtic shareholder.

What should have been a weekend centred largely around golf became intertwined with the continuing tensions surrounding the Scottish club.

The sight of tennis balls landing on the green while Desmond was playing attracted considerable attention, while the image printed on them made the message from the protesters unmistakable.

Celtic’s subsequent statement demonstrated how seriously the club viewed the incident.

Desmond, meanwhile, had little opportunity to respond through his performance on the course, with his tournament ending before the final round.

The fact that he finished tied 112th also means his sporting performance provided little consolation.

Sunday without Desmond

The final round at St Andrews will therefore take place without Celtic’s major shareholder.

Rather than being a decision prompted by the protests, Desmond’s absence is simply the consequence of failing to make the cut.

His 15-under-par total was well short of the 26-under score required to progress, leaving him outside the leading 20 players.

Bryant, however, remains in the competition and was due to tee off on Sunday morning.

For Desmond, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is therefore already finished.

The controversy surrounding Saturday’s protest may continue to generate discussion among Celtic supporters, but his absence from St Andrews on Sunday should not be interpreted as a withdrawal.

He simply did not qualify for the final round.