Tyrrell Hatton Moves To Four Stroke Victory In Abu Dhabi As Rory McIlroy Falters After Brilliant Start | Golf news

Rory McIlroy still seeking a first Rolex Series title after Tyrrell Hatton clinched his fourth after a quiet close of 66 propels the Englishman to a dominant Abu Dhabi Championship win; Hatton is projected to get ahead of McIlroy to claim British number one status.

Tyrrell Hatton kept a ghost off his card and scored a four-shot win

Tyrrell Hatton put on another towering performance on the final day as he edged out Rory McIlroy to claim a four-stroke victory at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship.

McIlroy led by one on the night and got off to a good start in his bid for an inaugural Rolex Series title, but mistakes began to emerge as Hatton increased the pressure with three birdies on four holes around the corner.

Another birdie at 13 left the English four clear, and neither McIlroy nor Tommy Fleetwood could find a way back in the final stages as Hatton’s composed 66 led him to a winning score of 18 under par, with Jason Scrivener moving up to second and second. biggest payday of his career after a back-nine 29.

The result was also significant in the world rankings, with Hatton now projected to get ahead of McIlroy to claim British No. 1 status, and the 29-year-old could be as high as fifth in the world when the rankings are updated. Monday. depending on where Patrick Cantlay ends up at The American Express.

McIlroy, a four-time runner-up at Abu Dhabi, appeared to be in the mood to break his duck at the event when he matched Hatton’s birdie in the second and added another in the third to leave a two-shot lead.

But Hatton threw one back in the seventh, and McIlroy then messed up in the eighth pitch when he got his drive into trouble, tossed his third into the bunker to the right of the green, barely escaped the trap and missed the target with his chip. while climbing a rudimentary bogey-six.

Rory McIlroy couldn’t build on a brilliant start

Hatton made a good birdie putt in the ninth and then nailed another from outside 30 feet to maintain his two-shot lead in the 10th length, a lead that was extended to three when McIlroy made a mistake again in the 11th.

A delightful approach to 13 set up Hatton’s fifth birdie of a dominating day at 13, and he found another at 16 when McIlroy bogeyed again to lag six behind with Scrivener racing towards the clubhouse lead thanks to his sensational finish. .

Hatton, also an uncontrolled winner of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in October, safely stopped the final two holes to close out his sixth win on the European Tour, and a record fourth in the Rolex Series by one ahead of Jon Rahm.

Hatton’s composite performance earned him a fourth Rolex Series title

A homeless McIlroy, without a win since the WGC-HSBC champions in November 2019, made two 45-foot birdie putts on the last save a level par 72, registering his eighth top-three finish in Abu Dhabi.

Scrivener broke free from contention with three bogeys over five holes in the first nine, although he significantly improved his rankings and bank balance with a notable back-nine load, starting with an eagle in the 10th before adding five birdies to return a 66..

The Australian won the race for second place ahead of McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello, who birdied the latter to finish with a 69 to finish 12 under par, while Fleetwood plummeted in the standings after following a bogey. at 16 with a double bogey six at 17..