2023 WGC-Dell Match Play: Top 10 Power Rankings at Austin CC
Tyrrell Hatton doesn’t have a win to back it up, but he’s playing some of the best golf out there in the 2022-23 season.
The Englishman ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (2.005). He’s ninth off the tee (.775), 10th in approach (.857), and 18th in putting (.552).
Hatton is coming off a solo second a couple of weeks ago at the Players Championship. He’s also got top-10s at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour, as well as the WM Phoenix Open and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
In five WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play appearances, Hatton has won his group three times and finished second in the other.
Last year, he went 3-0-0 in his group with wins over Si Woo Kim, Daniel Berger, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Hatton lost 4&3 to Seamus Power in the round of 16.
Hatton’s yet to make the quarterfinals, but I see that changing this week.
He’s the No. 14 seed heading his group with No. 31 Russell Henley, No. 46 Lucas Herbert, and No. 62 Ben Griffin.
Henley hasn’t gotten out of the group stage in three tries. Herbert just shot 82-85 to finish DFL at the Players Championship and Griffin is a tournament debutant whose only top 10 on the PGA Tour this season came at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
I see Hatton breezing through to meet an upset pick, No. 20 Keegan Bradley, in the round of 16.
Bradley will be buzzing off getting past McIlroy in group play, but Hatton is the hotter player.
From there, I’ve got Hatton facing countryman No. 11 Matt Fitzpatrick in the quarterfinals. Normally, I’d roll with Fitzpatrick, but he hasn’t been at 100% health this year with a neck injury.
I think Fitzpatrick is getting closer to his old self, which gets him to this point before wearing down.
Hatton next meets one of the top seeds, Jon Rahm. Unfortunately, downing the former world No. 1 will be too tall of a task for Tyrrell.
Hatton will be ruing his missed opportunity and fall to Max Homa in the third-place match.