Tyrrell Hatton insists he doesn't see himself as anything special and its business as usual after victory in Abu Dhabi saw him rise to a career-high in the Official World Golf Ranking.
A lot of things can change in a year.
Last January, Tyrrell Hatton had to skip the Omega Dubai Desert Classic because he was recovering from wrist surgery. This week, he heads into the event as the most recent winner on the European Tour, and at a career-high of fifth in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Hatton made his return from injury with a top ten at the WGC Mexico Championship, and immediately followed that with a victory on the PGA Tour. By September, Hatton’s consistency led him to rise up to 15th on the Official World Golf Rankings, and he soon claimed his second victory of 2020 by realising a boyhood dream of winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
That week, he broke into the top ten for the first time, and last Sunday became just the second person to win four Rolex Series events with his triumph in Abu Dhabi.
“The win last week still feels a little bit surreal, alongside with where we’ve moved up to in the World Rankings,” said Hatton, whose previous success in this tournament includes back-to-back top-three finishes in 2017 and 2018.
“It doesn’t feel like it was me who won the tournament. Looking forward to this week. It’s nice to be back here in Dubai, I missed the event last year because I was still recovering from wrist surgery. I’ve had some good finishes in the past and I’m hoping I can have another good week this week."
Yet despite all of his recent achievements, Hatton insisted that it’s still business as usual for him.
“I don’t see myself as anything special," he continued. "Just going about my business, doing my own thing. That’s just the way I am, I guess.
“I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable with the position I’m in, I just don’t see myself as anything different. It’s not something that I really worry about. I’m just trying to play good golf and the World Rankings take care of themselves if you’re able to do that. Fortunately for me, the last 14 months, I’ve been on a really good run and I’m hoping that continues.
“The game feels good, so we’ll see how we go this week.”
Hatton will tee off for Thursday's first round with former champion Sergio Garcia, and World Number Four Collin Morikawa.
