A dog stole the show at St. Andrews, delighting golf fans at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

There are many reasons why playing golf in Scotland is a beautiful, otherworldly experience.

The history, the landscape, the sea, and, of course, links golf are all synonymous with the British Isles. So, too, are dogs, which roam around golf courses as if they were their own. This week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is no different.

During the third round, soccer star Gareth Bale, while playing alongside Englishman Daniel Brown, who rose to prominence during this past year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, found himself in quite a predicament. Bale played a nice pitch shot from just short of the green, which nestled a few feet beyond the hole.

Then, out of nowhere, a curious canine raced onto the putting surface, grabbed Bale’s ball as if it were a game of fetch, and returned it to his feet.

Golf fan Darren McRae captured and posted the video on X, which immediately went viral.

Fellow golf fans online got a kick out of the video, while others asked, ‘What is the ruling?’

Well, in the Rules of Golf, Rule 9.6 states:

“If it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including another player in stroke play or another ball) lifted or moved a player’s ball at rest, there is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced on its original spot.”

Therefore, Bale did not receive any penalty for his four-legged friend fetching his ball. All he had to do was replace it in its original resting position. That did not affect his ball too much, as Bale and Brown went on to card a 10-under 62 in the team competition on Saturday.

They sit in a tie for 12th through three rounds of play at 29-under. Tyrrell Hatton and his father, Jeff, lead the way at 38-under.

Tyrrell Hatton fired an 11-under 61 on Saturday, matching the course record at the Old Course at St. Andrews. In doing so, he snatched the 54-hole lead in the pro side of this event and now holds a one-shot advantage over Belgian Nicolas Colsearts, who served as a Ryder Cup vice-captain a year ago.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.