Not Feeling Glum: Tyrrell Hatton Overcomes Early Week Filming Duty To Win In Abu Dhabi
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Somehow regrouping from Tuesday’s anger management group (filming) duties—an unthinkable player ask on the PGA Tour—Tyrrell Hatton passed Rory McIlroy to win the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
From Ewan Murray’s Guardian story:
Hatton has all but secured a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for later this year already. He is entitled to further, lofty goals. “Everyone in their career, their goal is to win a major and I’m no different,” said Hatton. “Obviously the majors last year for me were disappointing, I missed the cut in all three. But golf’s a funny game. You’re trying your best every single week, and some weeks, it sort of works out better than others. So I’m hoping that in 2021, the majors fall in good weeks for me.”
Hatton has struck up a wonderfully successful partnership with the charismatic Scottish caddie Mick Donaghy. “Mick has won four times the amount that I have,” said Hatton with a smile. That point relates to experience. “I love our partnership and working together. I’m hoping that continues for a very long time.”
Now Hatton has to hope he can return to the U.S. as new travel restrictions seem inevitable.
With a 300 strength of field to the American Express’s 269, Hatton will continue his move up from world No. 9, perhaps to as high as fifth and ahead of McIlroy.
McIlroy continued a strange run to start the year as Kyle Porter notes here at CBSSports.com:
Rory McIlroy continued what has been a bit of a notorious run of great (but not great enough) play to open 2021. With a third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, McIlroy has now finished in the top five of his first event to start a new year in 12 of the last 13 years. That run includes nine (!) top-five finishes at the Abu Dhabi Championship (eight of them within the top three) and another handful elsewhere around the globe.
But the biggest story remains Hatton’s ability to participate in what must have been a fairly lengthy social media shoot on Tuesday and recover in time to win a tournament by four. All credit to the team.
Tommy Fleetwood’s admonition to raise the thumb when feeling glum immediately became a thing (if you haven’t watched the short film this will all sound absurd). Some fun from the European Tour social team:
Got up to 162. Wow!
The director’s cut of Hatton highlights:
