Tyrrell Hatton’s bucket list just got shorter.
Hatton secured his first BMW PGA Championship title on Sunday, which is also his third Rolex Series win. The Englishman once visited Wentworth Golf Club as a five-year old boy with his father, sparking a boyhood dream of one day winning the European Tour’s flagship event. Now 28 years of age, the dream has become reality.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Hatton. “This was a goal of mine, to win this tournament in my career, and part of me is sad that I didn’t get to experience the crowds and stuff with the grandstands, but it’s just amazing to win this trophy.”
Hatton admits he struggled with his rhythm during the round. “It’s probably the worst I’ve swung the club the past four days,” he said. Despite that, the five-time international winner fired six birdies en route to a 5-under par 67 — the only blemish on his scorecard was a bogey at the 13th.
The end result? A 19-under par performance at Wentworth and a decisive four-stroke lead on the field. Nerves or not, Hatton showed his ability to finish strong this week, birdying the final hole in all four rounds.
It wasn’t easy for him, though. Victor Perez put the heat on Hatton with a blistering front nine that included two birdies and an eagle at the par-5 fourth. Yet, the Frenchman ultimately stalled out, with bogeys at No. 13 and No. 17 relegating him to second. Perez finished with a 68, scoring 15 under on the week.
2018 Masters champ Patrick Reed found himself T-3 at 14 under with England’s Andy Sullivan. Reed bogeyed No. 5 and No. 15 but made up for it with four birdies and a closing eagle to card 68 for the third day in a row.
Sullivan, 33, put together his best round of the tournament by four strokes. His front nine was even better than Perez’s, with four birdies and an eagle on No. 4, while his back nine included three birdies and a bogey. The resulting 7-under 65 launched Sullivan 10 spots up the leaderboard.
Joachim B. Hansen, the Dane with whom Perez had been tied at second after round three, dropped to seventh place after he could manage no better than an even-par 72. Other U.K. favorites Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and David Horsey plummeted nine spots to T-13 after they each carded a disappointing 73.
The day belongs to Hatton, who entered the week 20th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. He has since ascended to seventh in the Race to Dubai and cracked the OWGR top 10 for the first time in his career. Hatton, who shared a heartwarming post-round moment with his parents over video chat, is keeping everything in perspective.
“The European Tour’s done a great job,” he said. “We’re all very thankful to be able to play golf during these tough times, and I’m delighted that I can be their champion this week.”
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