Danny Willett to head Ryder Cup contingent in Dunhill Links

Masters champion Danny Willett will be among seven Ryder Cup team members heading for Scotland straight after the Hazeltine match. Picture: Getty Images

Masters champion Danny Willett will be joined by six of his Ryder Cup team-mates as well as captain Darren Clarke in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which takes place the week after the upcoming match at Hazeltine.

Willett, who won his first major when claiming the Green Jacket at Augusta in April, will fly straight to Scotland from Minnesota along with Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matt Fitzpatrick, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Pieters, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood.

Kaymer and Westwood are both former Dunhill Links champions, the former having landed the title straight after making his Ryder Cup debut on Colin Montgomerie’s winning side at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Paul Lawrie, one of Clarke’s vice captains in a fortnight’s time, is also in the field for the $5 million event at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews, with other major winners in a star-studded line-up including Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Angel Cabrera and Y.E.Yang.

World No 13 and 2012 winner Branden Grace will be there, too, as will Shane Lowry, who finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson in this year’s US Open, and Andrew “Beef” Johnston.