Tyrrell Hatton has told his critics he has no plans to change after beginning his season with victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.
Hatton carded a three-under-par 69 in Sunday’s final round to move him to him to 15-under for the tournament, leaving him one shot clear of overnight leader Daniel Hillier. It was the perfect start to the season for Hatton, whose LIV Golf campaign will not get underway until next month in Riyadh.
In typical Hatton fashion, it was not without controversy, after the Englishman’s on-course etiquette once again raised eyebrows when hitting his club into a tee box during the third round on Saturday.
It is not the first time Hatton’s discipline has faced criticism, but the LIV star revealed his passion is part of the player he is. “Everyone says that you can’t be perfect but I try to be perfect every shot I hit,” Hatton said in a press conference following his win at Emirates Golf Club.
“I have high standards, and I get frustrated when I don’t meet those standards. Yeah, generally, yeah, I’m always going to wear my heart on my sleeve and give it a hundred percent, and that’s never, ever going to change.” His efforts were recognised by his Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy following his fourth round.
McIlroy – who had won the previous two editions of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – rose to the defence of Hatton in the aftermath of his week, claiming his teammate’s attitude of not caring what people think is a key attribute to his game.
Providing a response to the Northern Irishman’s comments, Hatton said: “[McIlroy] obviously knows me well enough by now to know what I’m like and the type of person I am, and yeah, I mean, a lot of people don’t like how I’ll be on the golf course.
“Some people might enjoy watching it. But that’s up to those people to decide, the people that know me as a person and what I kind of stand for. I think I’m a pretty honest person. Yeah, that’s for other people to have their opinions. But I’m just being me. Yeah, I guess I agree with Rory that I don’t need to change.”
The win was hugely important for Hatton’s Ryder Cup hopes, with the 33-year-old earning some much-needed European qualification points ahead of a LIV-heavy schedule in 2025. Amid the significance, Hatton admitted the thought of Ryder Cup qualification crossed his mind during Sunday’s final round.
“It did actually cross my mind, I can’t remember, it was on one of the last few holes,” he said. “It randomly popped into my head thinking about, it would be nice to get over the line because I need the points. That was just like a random thought as I looked at the leaderboard.
“I think it was on the 17th green, actually. So yeah, I mean, this week was massive for me. The last few events last year on the DP World Tour were huge for me as well in terms of trying to earn the points that I need to. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”
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