Hatton could have more to celebrate after ‘Desert Swing’

Tyrrell Hatton has had little time to bask in the glory of his achievement. Hours after putting the finishing touches to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, his sixth title on the European Tour, the Englishman quietly slipped into Dubai, in the dark of the night. It was a brief celebration, if anything, as his fiancee Emily had a flight to London’s Heathrow the next morning.

Perhaps, there will be more time and more reasons to celebrate after this week or the week after, for the 29-year-old, if he can manage to accomplish a treble over the course of this ‘Desert Swing.’

Having weathered tough and windy conditions at the National Course in the UAE Capital, Hatton arrives in Dubai, the city of dreams, as the brand new world No.5 and although a long shot but not unlikely, if he can replicate his success of Abu Dhabi at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this weekend and at the Saudi International next week, it would be nothing short of sensational.

“The win last week still feels a little bit surreal, alongside with where we’ve moved up to in the World Rankings. It doesn’t feel like it was me who won the tournament,” Hatton said during a virtual interaction on Tuesday.

“Looking forward to this week. It’s nice to be back here in Dubai, I missed the event last year because I was still recovering from wrist surgery. I’ve had some good finishes in the past and I’m hoping I can have another good week this week,” he added.

And Hatton, who is the early pace-setter in this season’s Race to Dubai, hopes he can carry the momentum from Abu Dhabi.

“I played the Pro-Am today (Tuesday), the game still felt pretty good. The game feels good, so we’ll see how we go this week,” said Hatton.

Hatton fired a six-under par 66 on the final day on the final day in Abu Dhabi for a tournament 18-under to win by four strokes over Australian Jason Scrivener.

Despite climbing to No.5 in the world, Hatton prefers to fly under the radar and just do what he loves doing.

“I don’t see myself as anything special. Just going about my business, doing my own thing. That’s just the way I am, I guess,” said Hatton, who has one victory on the PGA Tour.

“I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable with the position I’m in, I just don’t see myself as anything different. It’s not something that I really worry about. I’m just trying to play good golf and the World Rankings take care of themselves if you’re able to do that. Fortunately for me, the last 14 months, I’ve been on a really good run and I’m hoping that continues,” he said.

The Dubai Desert Classic takes place at the Majlis Course of the Emirates Golf Club from Thursday to Sunday.

The European and PGA Tour aside, Hatton also dreams of representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics this year.

“If I’ve got the opportunity to play in the Olympics I would definitely go. It would be, I imagine, a fantastic experience and not one you are ever guaranteed to be able to do again. Hopefully I can give myself the opportunity to be on the team,” Hatton said.

james@khaleejtimes.com

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