Fresh off a big win at the BMW PGA Championship in England, myself and others were wondering how Tyrrell Hatton would do across the pond at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas.
I say he answered the bell.
Hatton fended off fatigue to post 65-68-73-65 for T-3rd. The 29 year old was within range of the lead well into Sunday afternoon.
“Yeah, my game’s in a good place at the moment,” Hatton was quoted by Tee Scripts Sunday. “Winning last week, and obviously it was a long travel time to get here, thankfully my game’s held up. We battled a bit of jet lag to be honest, I felt fairly tired throughout the week and I’m really happy with how I’ve played.”
Not only did he win the European Tour’s famed BMW PGA. He won it by four, ousting the likes of Patrick Reed, Matthew Fitzpatrick, etc.
Hatton now has five top-25s in his last six starts. He impressively qualified for his first Tour Championship while playing a limited PGA Tour schedule. Hatton won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and placed top-five at Hilton Head and Detroit.
Fatigue could be a factor, but getting back to sea level and a shorter course will help. Plus, he’s got to be feeling like he’s playing with house money.
Hatton made no double bogeys or worse last week on the back of a great ball-striking weel. He ranked second in strokes gained tee to green (2.73 per round) and was first in SG approach (2.27). In 2019-2020 he was 13th (1.066) and fourth (.694), respectively.
A few loose shots around the greens kept him from truly pushing Xander Schauffele and Jason Kokrak down the stretch. A rank of 42nd (.184) in that SG category last season makes me believe a finish outside the top 50 in a 78-player field was an aberration.
The hottest player in the world label has traded hands more times than a dollar bill. Right now I’d say it’s Hatton, so give me the fiery Englishman to tame his emotions and grab his second PGA Tour win.