Masters winner Danny Willett to face LIV Golf | Golf News

Former Masters champion Danny Willett is eyeing a spot in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, as he prepares to enter the Final Qualifying spherical next week.

The 36-hole showdown is set for July 1, spanning 4 UK venues, with quite a few huge names vying for a likelihood to compete in the season’s ultimate main, including 18 members from the LIV Golf setup.

Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Graeme McDowell are among the LIV setup contenders hoping to make it through Qualifying, and they will be joined by Willett, who will play his two rounds at West Lancashire Golf Club. But Sergio Garcia won’t be there.

Willett, the 2016 Masters champion at Augusta National, is no stranger to performing under strain on the grand stage. However, he has struggled to replicate his previous success, dropping his exemption to compete in his home main at The Open.

His final Open look was in 2023, where he tied for 63rd at Royal Liverpool, with Brian Harman rising as the champion. Willett had to miss final yr’s battle for the Claret Jug at Royal Troon, which noticed Xander Schauffele topped as the Champion Golfer of The Year.

After a yr’s absence, he now goals to return to Northern Ireland but should first go one of golf’s most difficult exams next Tuesday. In preparation, Willett is back in PGA Tour motion this week, competing at the Rocket Classic in Detroit.

The 37-year-old golfer is set to compete in the upcoming match following a sturdy efficiency at the RBC Canadian Open earlier this month. He completed tied for thirteenth place in Toronto, marking his second-best end result of the 2025 season.

Willett has confronted his truthful share of challenges in current years, grappling with numerous health points. His most making an attempt instances got here in 2023 when he underwent shoulder surgical procedure.

Despite this setback, he made a exceptional comeback to take part in the 2024 Masters, although the consequences of his damage had been still noticeable.

“Tougher than I thought,” Willett mirrored on his return to the game during final September’s BMW PGA Championship. “Yeah, the first six-seven months when I wasn’t doing anything were phenomenal. Just sat on the sofa, go to the gym every day, working out, do our bits, but zero pressure. It could take as long as it wanted to.

“I believe once I began getting back into making an attempt to prepare to play, we just realised how insane this golf sport drives you, and just not fairly having the ability to put my finger on it.”