Tyrrell Hatton has made history after becoming the first ever three-time winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The 32-year-old started his love affair with the event when he claimed his first title in 2016 before successfully defending his crown 12 months later, but a two under par round of 70 today earned him a spot in the history books.
Hatton, now a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, went toe-to-toe with Nicolas Colsaerts at the Old Course St Andrews before a closing birdie saw him reach 24 under and finish one clear of his Belgian rival.
Hatton had equalled the course record with a 61 on Saturday to earn a one-shot lead, which inflated to three after four birdies through his first 11 holes.
Winning at the Home of Golf is never easy, and the three-time Ryder Cup player had to dig deep after dropping three shots in two holes with a bogey at the 14th following a double bogey at the 13th.
Colsaerts birdied the next, meaning the leading duo were tied at 23 under with three holes to play and went shot for shot through the next two, leaving the destiny of the championship all down to the famous par-4 18th.
Both players drove their tee shots just short of the green, with Hatton clipping an excellent chip to two feet while Colsaerts could only putt from off the green to eight feet. The Belgian then saw his birdie putt slide by, leaving Hatton to tap in for a closing three and a famous win.
Tommy Fleetwood posted a closing 67 to finish third on 21 under, with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, David Puig and Robin Williams sharing fourth on 19 under.
VITAL RANKING POINTS
Hatton and his dad Jeff finished second in the team event, finishing two shots behind Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Irish businessman Dermot Desmond, who triumphed on 48 under par after carding a better-ball 13 under par round of 59 in the final round.
Hatton said: “At the start of the week, my goal was to try to win the tournament, so to be sitting here next to the trophy again feels great. It’s also been awesome playing with my dad this week. This is the third time we’ve been able to play this tournament together, and I think finally this year my dad sort of settled down and he actually played some good golf, which was nice to see. That’s the first time that I’ve won with my dad at a tournament and that makes it even more special.”
“My last win on the DP World Tour was Abu Dhabi 2021, so that was a long time ago. And I knew when I came back to play the British Masters and the Spanish Open last week, that I really wanted to earn enough points to be able to play in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from a world ranking points perspective, and a Ryder Cup points perspective.
“I’ve been fortunate to play the DP World Tour Championship every year that I’ve had my tour card. Winning today secures my spot there. I’m really excited that I can compete in those two events at the back end of the year.”
