Tyrrell Hatton wanted to complain to a referee about a pin placement during the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, according to a report.
The Englishman and European Ryder Cup hero fired a second-round 72 on Friday at Yas Links and is currently eight strokes adrift of leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai.
Hatton, 34, known for breaking clubs and NSFW reactions to errant shots, got visibly annoyed on the 11th hole.
He missed a seven-foot putt to save a bogey and immediately turned round to the gallery to offer his putter to anyone that would take it.
Watch that here:
According to Sky Sports’ on-course commentator, Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley, there was one reason why Hatton was miffed.
Riley said:
“The reason why Tyrrell was having a little dummy-spit was because he wanted to speak to a referee to complain about the pin placement.”
It’s unclear if Hatton did speak to a referee or what exactly his alleged issue was.
He went on to make six pars in a row before making another double-bogey at the closing hole.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
His temper got the better of him again on the par-three 17th after he found the bunker for the second consecutive round.
Hatton’s tee shot was inches from being perfect but was gobbled up by the trap.
It led to Hatton smashing his 5-iron on a tee box marker. He managed to get up-and-down to save par, though.
The level-par 72 left him eight strokes adrift of his Ryder Cup team-mate Fleetwood and Rai.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first of two play-off events on the DP World Tour.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
It is being contested by only the top 70 players in the Race to Dubai rankings, with only the top 50 at the conclusion of this week advancing to next week’s finale in Dubai.
Rory McIlroy currently leads the way and is attempting to win his seventh order of merit title, though he can still be caught by England’s Marco Penge.
Hatton can still catch McIlroy, though the odds are firmly stacked against him now.
LIV Golf players initially rejected format change, says Hatton
Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin are the only two LIV Golf players in the field this week in Abu Dhabi.
Naturally, Hatton was asked about LIV Golf’s decision to abandon one of their founding principles.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
The breakaway league, of which Hatton joined in 2024, has decided to extend their regular-season events from 54 holes to 72.
The change will undoubtedly boost LIV’s bid for Official World Golf Ranking points.
Tyrrell Hatton with his LIV Golf teammates
Masters champion Rory McIlroy said he found the move peculiar as he believed LIV could have achieved accreditation with their 54-hole format.
Hatton told reporters in Abu Dhabi that LIV surveyed its players at the end of 2024 and asked each golfer if they wanted to fall inline with the traditional tours.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
He said only three players were supportive of the change.
“I guess that’s changed quite a bit in the last year,” he said.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
