Tyrrell Hatton holds his nerve to win Dubai Desert Classic

Englishman staves off challenge from Daniel Hillier to lift Dallah Trophy

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  Tyrrell Hatton of England poses with the Dallah Trophy after winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on Sunday, January 19, 2025. Getty Images

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  Tyrrell Hatton of England shakes hands with Daniel Hillier of New Zealand after their round on day four of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Getty Images

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  England's Tyrrell Hatton celebrates after putting on the 18th hole to win the Dubai Desert Classic. AFP

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  Tyrrell Hatton hits his second shot on the 18th hole at the Emirates Golf Club. Getty Images

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  Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy shakes hands with the caddie of Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard after the final round. Reuters

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  Rory McIlroy lines up a shot on day four of the Dubai Desert Classic. AFP

With all the temper-tantrums, the snapped clubs, the smashed tee-box markers, the choice language, as well as that lingering issue of the switch to LIV Golf, Tyrrell Hatton is not every golf fan’s cup of tea.

But the firebrand Englishman remains well loved among his peers on the DP World Tour. Rory McIlroy, for one, says he hopes Hatton never changes his ways.

And, however the supporters take their tea, the man himself now has a massive coffee pot to serve his hot drinks from after winning the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Hatton claimed the Dallah Trophy after holing a nervy five-foot putt for par at the 72nd hole. It gave him a one-stroke win over Daniel Hillier, his final-round playing partner from New Zealand, and a title he has aspired to winning since he was a child.

“From growing up watching this event as a kid, waking up early before going to school and trying to make out I was ill so I could stay at home so I could watch the golf at home all day, to now playing and going on to win the tournament is an amazing feeling,” Hatton said. “I'm very proud to be the champion.”

In the valedictory aftermath of his win, Hatton smiled boyishly when thinking about the strides he has made from playing for The Luke Donald Salver in Beaconsfield, near his home town of High Wycombe.

He said that his dad had messaged to wish him luck ahead of the final round, how nervous he had been during it, and explained why he wears his heart on his sleeve.

All the schmaltz was a world away from the on-course angriness which puts some viewers off. But his win was well received by the galleries at Emirates Golf Club and, again, there was that testimony from McIlroy.

“He obviously knows me well enough by now to know what I'm like and the type of person I am,” Hatton said of his celebrated Ryder Cup teammate’s words of support.

“A lot of people don't like how I can be on the golf course. Some people might enjoy watching it. But that's up to those people to decide. The people that know me as a person [know] what I stand for. I think I'm a pretty honest person.

“It's for other people to have their opinions. But I'm just being me. I guess I agree with Rory that I don't need to change.”

For winning in Dubai, Hatton claimed a cheque worth $1.35m. It was also his fifth Rolex Series title, which puts him level at the top of that metric with Jon Rahm.

Most pertinently from his perspective, it also gave him a significant bump in Ryder Cup points. Hatton is proud to have qualified for the past three Ryder Cups automatically.

He wants to be there again, at Bethpage in September, on merit, but he knows his chances are limited by the choice he made to switch to the LIV tour last year.

“Making that decision to move over to LIV was really difficult and one that I didn't take lightly,” Hatton said. “It was a week off after being here [at the 2024 Desert Classic], and I honestly hated that week to be honest.

“When I signed, I feel like I went about it the right way. I spoke to the right people, and everyone knew like my stance and how I felt about the DP World Tour and wanting to still play events.”

He said he loves starting his season in the Middle East and, “from watching the event as a kid, it just makes these events that much more special and to be a part of them”.

“As I said, I love playing on the DP World Tour, and I feel like although I have moved over to LIV that I have still shown the commitment that I want to play,” he said.

Although he will be lesser spotted on the DP World Tour again this year, he will still try to earn enough points to make it back into the blue of Europe under his own steam.

Even if he does fall short, present form suggests he would be a shoo-in anyway as a pick by Luke Donald – the man whose name was on the club trophy he tried to win as a kid.

In the 105 days since he won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship back in October, Hatton has finished second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and sixth in the DP World Tour Championship. In between those tournaments in Dubai, he finished fifth at an Asian Tour event in Saudi Arabia.

He even had his mind on Bethpage during the testing terminal to the Classic.

“It did actually cross my mind on one of the last few holes,” Hatton said. “It randomly popped into my head thinking about, it would be nice to get over the line because I need the points.

“That was just like a random thought as I looked at the leaderboard. I think it was on the 17th green. So this week was massive for me.

“The last few events last year on the DP World Tour were huge for me as well in terms of trying to earn the points that I need to. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”