Hatton outplays McIlroy to win Abu Dhabi Champ’ship
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan 24, (AP): Englishman Tyrrell Hatton shot a sparkling 6-under par in the final round on Sunday to win the season-opening Abu Dhabi Championship by four strokes after overnight leader Rory McIlroy faded with an uninspired even-par 72 to drop into third.
Hatton carded a closing 66 to finish 18 under par and secure a sixth European Tour title, a victory that will go a long way towards securing a second Ryder Cup appearance in September.
Australia’s Jason Scrivener recorded an eagle and five birdies in a back nine 29 to claim second place on 14 under, with McIlroy a shot further back following a disappointing final round.
McIlroy held a one-shot advantage at the start on Sunday and doubled his lead thanks to birdies on the second and third, but threeputted the fourth and also dropped a shot on the par-five eighth following a poor drive.
Playing partner Hatton matched McIlroy’s birdie on the second and also picked up shots on the seventh and ninth to reach the turn with a two-shot lead.
McIlroy looked certain to close the gap when he found the par-five 10th in two, inches closer to the hole than Hatton was in three, but Hatton holed from 35 feet for an unlikely birdie and McIlroy twoputted for his.
A bogey on the 11th dropped McIlroy further off the pace and Hatton made certain of victory with birdies on the 13th and 16th.
McIlroy now has four secondplace finishes, four thirds and a fifth in his last 10 starts in Abu Dhabi, but will be disappointed at failing to claim his first win since November 2019, especially after starting with a superb 64.
The Abu Dhabi Championship begins a run of three events in the “Gulf Swing” - the Dubai Desert Classic and the Saudi International come next.
In Hawaii, Darren Clarke won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship by two strokes Saturday for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory, playing the back nine in 6 under in a closing 8-under 64.
The 52-year-old former British Open winner from Northern Ireland started the back-nine run with birdies on Nos. 10-11, added two more on 13 and 14, made a 10-foot par save on 15 and birdied 16 and 17.
He parred the 18th to cap the bogey-free round in the first event of the year.