It was a promising start to the season for Tyrrell Hatton as he looked to consolidate his form of 2016 into another winning year on the European Tour and make his move up the world rankings.
The 26 year old kick-started his campaign with four top-20 finishes in his opening four events, including tied third at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and tenth at WGC-Mexico Championship, however, a wrist injury suffered before the opening round of the Masters Tournament in Georgia put a halt to rising star’s early momentum.
“I was walking off the par three course on Wednesday after that huge storm had forced the contest to be called off,” said Hatton. “I was on the pine needles, on a side-slope, and my foot gave way and down I went.
“Your natural reaction is to put your arms out to break your fall and I landed fairly heavily on my hand. It didn’t hurt that much at the time and I played the tournament. No problem, no pain. The following week, no pain. It was only the next week, after I’d had four days off, that it hit me.
“I ended up finally getting the injection the week after Wentworth and two weeks off before the US Open, but it had already taken its toll. I had had a very consistent swing for ten years but even just two months of doing something different to protect the wrist had become pretty well embedded and it took a while to shake it off.”
For Hatton, it was a frustrating summer with results in tournaments not to the usual high standard he had begun to expect, making just two of nine cuts between the Masters and US PGA Championship, yet the turnaround came swiftly and it came via an unlikely source.
Jonathan Bell, a childhood friend and professional golfer himself, joined Hatton on his bag at the Omega European Masters and it was in the Swiss Alps that something clicked between the English duo. A tied third finish was a nice start for the new pairing and with Hatton feeling more relaxed on the course, the good results started to flow.
“We started out at the Omega European Masters and the British Masters and thought, ‘Let’s just see how we get on’.
“Jonathan and I have known each other since we were seven years old. We met playing the same junior tournaments, our dads became good friends and we did too.He’s still a pro but couldn’t afford to play this year so he’d been working on and off as a gardener. It turned out he could take a few weeks out and come and do a few weeks on the bag for me.”
It was then in his first European Tour title defence that Hatton would shine in front of the golfing world, becoming the first man to successfully defend the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, whilst holding off the charge of his fellow countryman Ross Fisher, who broke the Old Course record on a historic day at St Andrews.
Hatton entered the day with a five-shot lead and extended his bogey-free run to 55 holes as he got to 24 under and finished three shots ahead of Fisher, who made 11 birdies in a stunning 61 that is the lowest of over 13,300 professional rounds at the Old Course, as both men entered the history books on an unforgettable afternoon.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," he said. "It felt so much harder than last year, maybe that's just a bit more pressure on myself but I'm so happy that I managed to defend it and what a great week.
"I think the format is helping me, playing with Jamie Dornan, we have good fun out there and it sort of keeps me relaxed which is what I need to do. We've just had good fun, I think that is what this tournament is about.
"I didn't see a leaderboard until the 16th green and I saw he was on 21 and that certainly made the 17th tee-shot seem a bit harder. What a great round of golf from Fish, it's amazing. He pushed me all the way and I was very happy to get over the line."
After his incredible performance at the home of golf, Hatton travelled to Golf Club Milano riding high on the confidence gained the week earlier and went on to seal his second European Tour victory in seven days with a brilliant birdie at the last to win the Italian Open.
Having celebrated his birthday during the week, Hatton carded six birdies - including five on the back nine - in a flawless 65 on Sunday to win his first Rolex Series event and continued his move up the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
“Amazing to win one, but to win back-to-back, and defend in two weeks is unbelievable. It gives me a lot of confidence. Obviously winning last week, my game felt really good, and just taking that into this week and playing well again and giving myself another chance was great.
“You know, slightly different circumstances where I had to come from behind. I'm not sure how far back I was going into the back nine but I knew I needed plenty of birdies and was very fortunate that I holed a few putts coming in.
“To win a Rolex Series event is very special. They are new for this season and all the players are looking forward to playing in them. I'm just happy that I could win one of them after a poor showing in them during the summer.
Hatton finished the year in fifth position in the Race to Dubai Rankings, with a tie for eighth in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai also contributing to his highest ever individual finish in a European Tour season.
