Hatton Wins in the Desert, Proving LIV Works

“From growing up watching this event as a kid, waking up early before going to school and trying to make out ills 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. “To win such an iconic event is so special, and I'm very proud to be the champion.”

A year ago, Hatton’s future was scrutinized. Word was out that the then-32-year-old was contemplating leaving the DP World Tour for LIV and Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.

After a successful LIV season, during which he earned over $10 million in winnings, including a LIV Nashville victory, Hatton looks to his second LIV season. He will not play in another DP World Tour event except for the four majors until the Irish Open in September.

“This event and the four majors this year are massive for me to try and earn as many points as I can to try and be an automatic qualifier,” Hatton said about his ability to capture one of the six automatic spots on the European Ryder Cup team. “This is a big step in the right direction. So happy with that and looking forward to the rest of the year.”

As good as Hatton has handled the last year, even he can be nervous during a final round, admitting to sheer relief when the six-footer went in on the last hole for his eighth DP World Tour victory and fifth ROLEX Series title.

But he doesn’t believe he needs to prove anything to European Captain Luke Donald and how his game stacks up.

“Luke and Dodo and sort of the backroom staff, they kind of know what kind of golf that I can produce,” Hatton said when asked about making the Ryder Cup team. “Ultimately, I'm just going out there and trying my best every single week, and I'm really happy to have won again so close to the Dunhill. Because I went 3 1/2 years of not winning tournaments.”

Despite all of Hatton's experience, he believed his wins continued to provide confidence and essential proof that he could overcome the obstacles.

He returns to his second full season on LIV next month in Saudi Arabia to build on what he has accomplished over the last three months, with hopes for a Ryder Cup birth.

“It did actually cross my mind, I can't remember, it was on one of the last few holes,” Hatton said about gaining points for the Ryder Cup. “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, actually. So yeah, I mean, 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.”