Staffordshire's Richard Mansell to represent Britain & Ireland in the Hero Cup

Staffordshire golfer Richard Mansell has been called up by Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for the Hero Cup.

Richard Mansell on the second tee during day four of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2022 at St Andrews. Picture date: Sunday October 2, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story GOLF Dunhill. Photo credit should read: Steve Welsh/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

The inaugural staging of the competition, between players from Great Britain & Ireland and continental Europe, will take place next month.

And Mansell completes the team picked by GB & Ireland captain Tommy Fleetwood and former world No.1 Donald.

Tweeting after news of his selection broke, Mansell wrote: “Proud and honoured to be selected by Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood to join the GB&I team for the Hero Cup in January.

“Always loved being in a team environment and more than ready to take on Team Europe with this great group of guys. Roll on 2023.”

Mansell was announced as one of the final two picks for the event, which is aimed at boosting Europe’s chances of regaining the Ryder Cup from the USA.

It effectively fills the gap left by the Seve Trophy, which was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.

Mansell was selected after enjoying his best year on the DP World Tour to date, finishing 44th in the rankings, and coming close to his first tour title on several occasions.

He joins Fleetwood, Ewen Ferguson, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Seamus Power, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace.

While Mansell was being chosen for the Great Britain & Ireland team, Antoine Rozner was being chosen as the final member of Team Europe, captained by Francesco Molinari.

Rozner claimed his third DP World Tour title by five shots in Mauritius on Sunday and is in the European side along with Molinari , Thomas Detry, Rasmus Hojgaard, Adrian Meronk, Guido Migliozzi, Alex Noren, Victor Perez, Thomas Pieters and Sepp Straka.

Donald said: “With less than a month to go until the Hero Cup, I’m delighted to have our full roster of 20 players confirmed and excited to have Antoine and Richard joining their respective teams at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

“We have a fantastic mix of major champions and Ryder Cup players, alongside those who are hoping to secure their debut for Team Europe in Rome next September, and the Hero Cup will provide me with a fantastic opportunity to see how these players adapt and react in a team environment.”

Molinari added: “It’s great to have our team finalised for the Hero Cup and I’m looking forward to leading this talented group of players. Being part of a team is something I have enjoyed immensely in my career and I’m sure all of our players will be looking forward to the week, including Antoine, who played some incredible golf last week to win his title in Mauritius.”

Fleetwood, who partnered Molinari at the Ryder Cup in 2018 to deliver four points for Europe and recently sealed his sixth DP World Tour victory at the Nedbank Golf Championship, said: “I am really pleased with the group of players who form our Great Britain and Ireland team. Richard is a terrific addition after his best season on the DP World Tour and I’m just really excited to get out there in a few weeks’ time with this group.”