Tyrrell Hatton missed out on winning the first major championship of his career at the U.S. Open on Sunday, however his finish at Oakmont does come with some perks
Tyrrell Hatton just missed out at the U.S. Open(Image: Getty Images)
Tyrrell Hatton will not have to worry about his route into next year’s U.S. Open after the Englishman’s tied-fourth finish at Oakmont booked him a 2026 trip to Shinnecock.
Hatton was one of a number of stars in contention to win the U.S. Open on Sunday, before J.J. Spaun burst from the pack to secure his first major title. It was the first time the Englishman had found himself in the mix on a major Sunday, but it came with a heartbreaking ending.
Sat at one-over-par with two holes to play, the LIV Golf man will have fancied his chances of setting the clubhouse target, especially with the prospect of playing the driveable par-four 17th.
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Things on the penultimate hole did not go to plan, though, as the tee shot ended up in the brutal Oakmont rough on the downslope of a bunker.
The testing lie saw Hatton make a bogey, before he added another at the 18th to write his name out of contention.
It was clear the European Ryder Cup hopeful was left frustrated by his finish, most notably with his harsh break at the 17th. Highlighting this afterwards, he told reporters: “Yeah, what happened on 17 is going to hurt a lot for a long time.
“It was the first time I’ve been in contention in a major, and that was exciting, and unfortunately, I feel like, through a bit of bad luck, I had momentum taken away from me and ultimately ended up not being my day… It was a pretty tough day.
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It was a tough finish for Hatton(Image: Getty Images)
“I feel like, for the most part, I played pretty well, although I did struggle a little bit on the restart with missing a few shots right.
“But I feel like I managed that well. Then, yeah, the finish at the end hurts a lot. I didn’t — if you’re going to miss the 17th with that pin, you have to miss it right. I did my bit. I feel like I was extremely unlucky to finish where it did.”
Whilst it was not to be for the Englishman, his top-five finish was much-needed amid his loyalties to LIV Golf.
With access to Official World Golf Ranking points and major access limited, Hatton ensured he would be back at the U.S. Open next year, having finished inside the top 12.
He also helped his Ryder Cup chances, with the 33-year-old now up to second in the European team standings ahead of the trip to Bethpage Black in September.
For Hatton, personally, though, there is no doubt he will be stewing over what could have been.
“I’ve been nervous before, trying to win tournaments,” he said of his efforts in the final round. “And it felt the same as that, to be honest. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think I’ve proved to myself that I can handle my nerves because I’ve won big tournaments.
“Yeah, a major would have been nice to add to the list, but it didn’t work out on this occasion, but I know that I feel like I handled myself pretty well. Yeah, I’m just sad standing here with how it ended up finishing for me.”
