Tyrrell Hatton smashed a tee box, received a stern remark from an official and then, after battling to within a stroke of the lead going into the final day of the Dubai Desert Classic, declared: “I don’t want to be boring just like everyone else.”
Love him or hate him – or adore his golf and despair through his tantrums – the Englishman is anything but boring. The 33-year-old is a seething contradiction, because he can irritate and captivate at the same time. And in an era where the archetypal modern golfer impresses the dwindling viewing audience with the monotony of hitting the ball flawlessly while simultaneously prompting the same viewer to switch with the monotony of their characters, Hatton is the poster boy for emotion. Good and bad.
This third round at the Emirates Golf Club was a highlight. Absolutely determined to rack up as many Ryder Cup points as possible in his final regular qualifying tournament, the LIV man fired a 69 to move to 12 under and hot on the heels of New Zealand leader Daniel Hillier (70).
Moving day. Except what moved Hatton most was the poor marker on the par-three seventh tee, who got the full Basil Fawlty treatment after his ball dared to fly 15 yards past the pin. He could have looked up at the sky and blamed the 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts, but there was something more substantial on which to vent his tantrum. So he was spoken to afterwards. I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry.
“Hopefully I can be a little more patient there if I need to and still keep the fire going,” Hatton said. ‘Because if I lose that, I’ll just be boring, just like everyone else.
“Yes, I was talked to about what happened when I signed my card. I have no problem with what was said. I mean, I’m aware that it’s not the right thing to do. But in the heat of the moment, when you’re frustrated, you just do things you probably wish you weren’t doing. But I don’t let it bother me for the rest of the day. I mean, if that’s the worst thing I do as a human being, then it’s not that bad.”
Classic Hatton. His favorite golfer growing up was Colin Montgomerie and like the great Scot, he wears his heart on his sleeve – and in all the blue sky that gathers around him. He swore and ranted all day, railed against the conditions and still somehow managed to establish himself as the odds-on favorite to win his second Tour title in his last five starts.
Hatton’s other three appearances in this series were a third, a fifth and a sixth. He is desperate to secure a spot for a third Ryder Cup appearance and in this mood – and whatever mood that may be – he could be unstoppable.
There are two shots back to Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson in third and seven behind at six under after a 69 as Rory McIlroy looks to win this event for the third time in a row.
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