Since its inception in 1989, the St Andrews Links Trophy has attracted the world’s best amateur golfers, many of whom have achieved success on the PGA and European Tours, notably Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari.

The tournament features elite amateur players from around the world competing in the Home of Golf, playing one round on the New or Jubilee Course and then three rounds on the Old Course.
According to the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), the St Andrews Links Trophy is one of the strongest amateur tournaments in the world based on the strength of the starting field and is arguably one of the strongest non-amateur championships in the British Isles.

In 2023, the St Andrews Links Trophy represented one of a string of successes for Alex Maguire, who played in The Walker Cup, The Open Championship and the World Amateur Team Championship, where he put in an exceptionally good performance. His victory in the St Andrews Links Trophy also catapulted him to the top of the new amateur exemptions category introduced by The R&A. The highest scoring player in the St Andrews Links Trophy, Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship qualifies for The Open at Royal Liverpool.