World No. 8 Tyrrell Hatton claimed his first Rolex Series title since 2021 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic thanks to a tight one-shot victory in a thriller at the Emirates Golf Club.
The Englishman entered the final round with a one-shot deficit but took the lead from New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier and held off the likes of four-time major winner Rory McIlroy to seal victory with a three-under 69 and end on 15-under.
It was at the 5th when Hillier’s chances took a turn. He sunk his second bogey of the day and Hatton capitalized with a birdie to steal the lead. Hillier kept up a good chase however, with back-to-back birdies opening the last nine which helped him stay in touch with Hatton.
Both bogeyed the 12th, and at the 18th, the New Zealander managed one last birdie. But Hatton’s final putt of around five feet was enough to give the LIV player his thrilling win.
“It feels amazing,” Hatton said. “I said earlier in the week this is one of the events you want to have on your CV. It’s such an iconic event on the DP World Tour. To add my name to the list of amazing champions before me, to have my name on that trophy is a dream come true.
“I was pretty nervous on the back nine. I guess I wanted it a little bit too much. I knew the position I was in. A bit scruffy on the last but to see that putt go in felt amazing. I’m just so happy to win.”
The four-time Dubai Desert Classic winner McIlroy ended the tournament strongly but ultimately came up short in extending his two-year streak to three as he finished tied for fourth place with Denmark’s Niklas Moller.
The Northern Irishman fought to take the lead, moving up from 12th to 4th on Sunday with five birdies on the back nine but finished three shots off Hatton at 12 under meaning there was no repeat of last year’s heroics when he came back to win from a 10-shot deficit.
“I left myself with too much to do after three days,” said McIlroy, current World No. 3. “I had chances and was burning the edges. I felt like I putted pretty well without anything going in.”
“I don’t think I played that differently to the last couple of days, I just held a couple of putts and made a couple of good ups and downs when I had to. I feel like I got progressively better as the week went on, which bodes well for the next few weeks.”
Englishman Laurie Canter completed the top three on 13 under thanks to a final-round 68.
WHAT IS THE NEXT EVENT?
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule is the Ras Al Khaimah Championship taking place between 23-26 January at the Al Hamra GC in the United Arab Emirates.