Andrew 'Beef' Johnston backs Kaymer, Westwood and Knox for Ryder Cup calls

Andrew Johnston has admitted he is not expecting to be among Darren Clarke's three captain's picks when he finalises his Ryder Cup team at the end of the month.

The hugely-popular "Beef" has become a firm favourite with golf fans worldwide over the last year, and he has climbed to 89th in the world rankings after starting the year outside the top 200.

The 27-year-old picked up his maiden European Tour title at the Open de Espana in April on a brutally-tough Valderrama course, and he made the cut in his first appearances at the US Open and PGA Championship while delighting his legion of fans with a top-10 finish in The Open at Royal Troon.

Johnston is 19th in the Race to Dubai, but he is well outside the qualifying places in the Ryder Cup standings and he concedes that there are others more deserving of a captain's pick for Hazeltine.

He told Sky Sports News HQ: "I don't think I'm very close and I think that's fair. There are a lot of guys playing very good golf, and if I was the captain I probably wouldn't pick myself. I'd pick Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Russell Knox.

"Russell is playing great at the moment, and you can't not pick Kaymer and Westwood - they're both class players."

Johnston is also determined to retain his trademark bushy beard that have made him a cult figure in professional golf this season, in defiance of many calls for him to shave it off as some believe it is not a good image for golf.

"The more people that say things, the longer I'll keep it," he added. "You shouldn't have to look a certain way to play a sport, or to do anything in life. The more people that fight it, fine. I'll keep it for as long as possible.

"I'm a person who always stays true to his word and will fight for what I believe in, and if they they think it's bad for the game it's ridiculous. We're trying to make the game as good and as fun as possible, and we want to get it out to as many people as possible.

"So all that fuss over a beard? That's crazy! The more people that say something, the longer I'll keep it - and that includes my girlfriend!"

Johnston was speaking while hosting the first annual golf day to benefit the Noel Johnston Foundation, set up in memory of his father who died after being diagnosed with brain cancer aged only 56. Click here for more details.