At St. Andrews, Tyrrell Hatton birdied the 18th hole for a dramatic victory over Nicholas Colsaerts by one stroke.
But his historic victory at the Old Course also gave him a Ryder Cup lifeline. He has now accumulated enough DP World Tour points to qualify for the final two events of the season, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. The top 70 will qualify for Abu Dhabi and the top 50 will advance to Dubai. These are also Rolex Series events, and the DP World Tour awards 2,000 Ryder Cup points to players in these disciplines. Only 1,000 points can be earned at regular DP World Tour events, such as this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“I'm very happy to have been able to get accommodation in Dubai,” Hatton said.
“When I teed off at the Spanish Open last week, I thought I probably needed at least a second to have a chance. I was actually going to Fitty's wedding that week. [Andalucía Masters]I sent a message a few weeks ago, but I felt very disappointed because I thought I might not be able to go if I didn't have enough points. I think we need a little more motivation to play well.
Due to his affiliation with LIV Golf, Hatton was unable to earn the points he needed to qualify for the final two events of the season. But this week, with his win, everything changed.
He started the season by playing in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, but then made the jump to LIV.
Hatton returned to the DP World Tour in August, competing in the Betfree British Masters, where he tied for 18th place. He then tied for 10th at last week's Spanish Open, earning him even more valuable points. Although he currently plays on the Saudi-backed circuit, Hatton has not canceled his membership on the DP World Tour and is therefore obligated to compete in at least four events per season. However, his win at St Andrews was his fourth event of the year and moved him up to 16th in the Race to Dubai standings.
Now that he has secured his position in the Middle East, he can attend Matt Fitzpatrick's wedding without stress. However, he has also earned valuable Ryder Cup points, so you can rest assured. He is currently ranked fifth among European teams, behind Rasmus Hojgaard, Rory McIlroy, Matt Wallace and Niklas Norgaard. Hutton's hopes of reaching Bethpage Black are alive and well, and to some extent will come true.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
