Ryder Cup heroes face huge LIV Golf contingent on Scottish soil

Defending champion and record three-time winner Tyrrell Hatton is teeing up in the $5 million event at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews along with Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick.

The quartet are heading to Scotland after helping Luke Donald’s European team make it back-to-back Ryder Cup wins in the event’s 45th edition at Bethpage Black on Long Island on Sunday.

Hatton secured the victory after a dramatic final day while Fleetwood, who won four out of four over the first two days, was named as the recipient of the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon.

They will be up against no less than 17 LIV Golf players when they arrive back on British soil as the long-running tournament features the breakaway circuit’s biggest representation by far in a DP World Tour event.

In addition to Hatton, among those flying the LIV flag is Cameron Smith, who will be back at St Andrews for the first time since winning The Open in 2022.

Other LIV Golf big guns in the line up are former world No 1 Dustin Johnson, five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, double Masters winner Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed, the 2018 victor at Augusta National.

The field also includes Thomas Pieters, Adrian Meronk, Tom McKibbin, David Puig, Brendan Steele, Peter Uihlein, Matt Jones, Talor Gooch, Martin Kaymer, Louis Oosthuizen, Caleb Surratt and Frederik Kjetterup.

Adding to a tasty treat for Scottish golf fans, six-time PGA Tour winner Tony Finau is playing as well on this occasion in Angus and Fife.

MacIntyre, the world No 9 and now among 47 European players to play in a winning Ryder Cup team on US soil, heads a Scottish contingent that also includes DP World Tour regulars Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, Ewen Ferguson, Calum Hill, Richie Ramsay and Scott Jamieson.

In addition, Farmfoods Scottish Challenge champion Daniel Young is also teeing up on home soil, as are local man John Paterson, who recently landed a breakthrough win on the Tartan Pro Tour on the Jubilee Course in St Andrews, and Rory Franssen, a three-time winner this year on Paul Lawrie’s Scottish-based circuit.