In a thrilling conclusion at St Andrews, Tyrrell Hatton held on to claim the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for an unprecedented third time. Despite an unfortunate slip up towards the end, Hatton, who earlier equalled the course record with an impressive 61, managed a birdie on the final hole. His grand finish led to a final score of 24 under par, leaving him one stroke ahead of Nicolas Colsaerts from Belgium.
Colsaerts narrowly missed an eagle putt from the Valley of Sin, leaving him eight feet under the hole. Unfortunately, he was unable to cash in on the subsequent birdie attempt. Among the Irish players, Shane Lowry led the pack, securing a tied 12th place with 16 under. Párdraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy closed at 14 under following rounds of 69 and 68 respectively. Tom McKibbin, however, was slightly further down, finishing on 12 under.
Hatton expressed his joy to Sky Sports following his win, and the victory was more meaningful with his father, Jeff, by his side. He admitted to attempting to constrain his emotions and confessed to being a bit lost for words.
Despite experiencing a double bogey on the 13th hole and dropping another shot immediately after that, Hatton managed to maintain a three-shot lead. He attributed his win to focusing on each shot, revealing that he wasn’t aware of the actual scores other than on hole 17’s green. Hats off to Hatton for his remarkable triumph amidst the pressure.
While addressing his ball on the 18th tee, the thought “Please don’t hit it out of bounds” crossed Hatton’s mind, which he admitted wasn’t the most conducive mindset. However, his shot came off well, a chip shot specifically, executed satisfactorily with a pitching wedge, a technique he doesn’t often utilise. His three-and-a-half-foot putt was a test of nerves, but once it went in, relief washed over him.
The win secures Hatton’s participation in the DP World Tour’s season finale in Dubai and the flexibility to attend fellow Ryder Cup player, Matt Fitzpatrick’s upcoming wedding. Hatton had previously informed Fitzpatrick that his attendance at the marriage ceremony, clashing with Spain’s (Andalucia Masters) week, could be jeopardised if he didn’t accumulate the needed points. He conceded that the extra motivation to play well for the sake of attending the wedding proved to be beneficial.
Colsaerts, pursuing his first triumph after his victory in the 2019 French Open, rued the birdie chances he missed during the game, particularly one on the 18th. He expressed his pride at his performance, having strung together some solid rounds to finish in a position he hadn’t seen in recent years. While he wasn’t thrilled about his end-game, he maintains that it was holes eight, nine, ten, and eleven that were crucial.
Thorbjorn Olesen from Denmark and Irish businessman Dermot Desmond clinched the team event with 48 under par, leaving Hatton and his father at a two-shot deficit.