Hatton wins record third Dunhill Links title

 

Hatton’s last European Tour title was in Abu Dhabi in early 2021

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship final leaderboard

 

-24 T Hatton (Eng); -23 N Colsaerts (Bel); -21 T Fleetwood (Eng); -19 R Neergaard-Petersen (Den), D Puig (Spa), R Williams (SA)

 

Selected others: -18 J Rahm (Spa); -17 B Koepka (US), D Jordan (Eng); -16 S Lowry (Ire); -14 R Macintyre (Sco), R McIlroy (NI), C Shinkwin (Eng), P Harrington (Ire), S Jamieson (Sco)

 

Full leaderboard

 

England’s Tyrrell Hatton survived a late scare before securing a record third Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title at St Andrews.

 

Hatton, 32, had equalled the course record on Saturday to hold a one-shot lead going into the final day and he went three ahead thanks to four birdies in his first 11 holes.

 

However, a double bogey at the 13th and a bogey at the 14th enabled Nicolas Colsaerts to grab a share of the lead with three holes remaining.

 

But the 2016 and 2017 champion birdied the last hole from three feet to finish on 24 under – one shot ahead of his Belgian rival who left a long eagle putt from the Valley of Sin eight feet below the hole and was unable to convert the birdie attempt.

Hatton also finished second in the team event alongside his father Jeff, the pair finishing two shots behind Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and Irish businessman Dermot Desmond.

 

“It’s the first time I’ve actually won the tournament with my dad here so it means a lot and to do it at the home of golf is really special,” said Hatton, who has been part of two winning Ryder Cup teams.

 

“I’m trying not to cry, to be honest. I’m a bit lost for words.”

 

The win ensures he will be at the DP World Tour’s season-ending event in Dubai and means he can also attend the upcoming wedding of Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick.

 

He went on: “I was meant to be going to Fitzy’s wedding the week of Spain [the Andalucia Masters] and I had to message him a few weeks ago to say if I don’t earn enough points I might not be able to go, and I felt so bad about that.

 

“I guess having a little bit of extra motivation to play well and be able to be there for their special day [was good].”