CLARE BODEL: Tyrrell, many congratulations. You're the winner of the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. You told us early in the week you'd dreamed of winning this as a young boy. How does it feel to finally lift the trophy:
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, it's an amazing feeling. 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.
To win such an iconic event is so special, and I'm very proud to be the champion.
CLARE BODEL: You've also joined Jon Rahm in the leading Rolex Series Event tournament winners in Dubai events, how do you do it?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, again it feels really special to win another Rolex Series Event. I feel this week was really strong, and I'm happy how I played and handled myself today, especially on the back nine. I was pretty nervous, and yeah, when that putt went in on the last, sheer relief and very happy.
CLARE BODEL: We're very happy for you.
Q. Just on the last, two-shot lead coming down the last, you must be thinking this should be easy enough and suddenly you had a 6-footer, was it, to avoid the playoff? Your heart must have been in your mouth a bit?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, my hands were shaking. I was just praying I hit a good putt. The putter was a little bit cold today. Although I hit a lot of good shots into the greens, I generally left myself a downhill putt. I think when you're nervous it's easy to be a little bit tentative. The greens got quite quick this afternoon.
Yeah, it was a good feeling when that putt went in, just as I said, just sheer relief.
Q. And where would you put this win of all the wins you've had?
TYRRELL HATTON: Well, it would be right up there. I mean, winning the Dunhill at the Home of Golf is I think the only thing that could probably top that, would be winning The Open and doing it at St Andrews, as well.
This is such an iconic event. Like I said, growing up, watching this event and playing in it and now to win it is amazing. Yeah, just very happy that I've handled myself in a good way and was able to get over the line.
Q. Yesterday you got asked how close you felt you were to being in your top form. You said you were not feeling super comfortable over the ball. Wondered if that changed today, especially with the win?
TYRRELL HATTON: I felt a little bit more ease over the ball today than I did probably yesterday. But I had a really good warmup today, and you almost don't want to hit it that well going out to the course. You're like, just going to hit it sideways the rest of the day.
But in one way, having a good warmup sort of settled me down a little bit as well. I feel like I started off the round pretty good. I know I bogeyed the first but I feel like I hit four good shots there. And it was just one of those things, it's kind of just stay in the moment.
My dad messaged me before I went out. He messages me before every round just saying good luck, and just messaged me saying there's no favourites today. Just go out and play one shot at a time, it's 18 holes, and just give it your best.
That's what I tried to do. Yes, there was moments where I did get frustrated but I think all know me well enough that that's bound to happen at some stage, but yes it was nice to get over the line.
Q. You probably didn't have anything to prove in terms of your Ryder Cup credentials, but the run of form you've had since the Dunhill, the two events at the end of last season, the Team Cup, and now, you've certainly done that, have you not?
TYRRELL HATTON: Well, I think the guys, Luke and Dodo and sort of the backroom staff, they kind of know what kind of golf that I can produce. 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.
So to win, well, basically three events in the last, what is it, seven months or so, is great for confidence and just to prove to myself that I can still get over the line.
And yeah, I'm very happy with that.
Q. You did say that obviously now you won't play the DP World Tour until the Irish Open and Wentworth, and it's a definite scenario this time in terms of qualifying automatically?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, I've still got the four majors to continue earning points for the Ryder Cup. It's no secret that I really want to be on that team. I've automatically qualified for the previous three Ryder Cups, and I'd love to be able to keep that streak going.
Yes, it's a lot harder for me now but winning the Dunhill and winning here this week, with this being a Rolex Series Event and more points available, puts me in a good position, but I still need to go play really well in the majors. I still need to play well when I'm playing in the LIV events. That's what I'm going to try and do.
Q. A couple of years ago in Abu Dhabi, we all had a long conversation with you, and you said that your head was not in the right space. You spoke a lot about how you feel bad about the game at that time. What has really changed in these last two years that has made you a serial champion?
TYRRELL HATTON: I don't know, I guess I'm quite a reactive person. So if things aren't going well, then yeah, I'll probably be a bit down. And you try and figure it out.
It's important when you have special moments like today to really enjoy them, it's an amazing feeling to win golf tournaments, and then when you win a tournament like this, it feels extra special.
Q. Rory said after his round that you really do things your way, and he "doesn't care a flying fig," so that you don't change. What do you have to say about that?
TYRRELL HATTON: Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.
CLARE BODEL: Rory says: Don't change.
TYRRELL HATTON: Rory says don't change.
Well, he obviously knows me well enough by now to know what I'm like and the type of person I am, and yeah, I mean, a lot of people don't like how I'll be on the golf course.
Some people might enjoy watching it. But that's up to those people to decide, the people that know me as a person and what I kind of stand for. I think I'm a pretty honest person.
Yeah, that's for other people to have their opinions. But I'm just being me.
Yeah, I guess I agree with Rory that I don't need to change.
Q. Probably on the same subject, was your heart in your mouth over the tee shot on 7?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, 7 was a weird one because I feel like I hit a good shot there but the wind was pretty swirly and hard to judge but it should have been on a clock face, ten o'clock, so it should have been a little bit in and out of the left. I hit my start line because naturally, certainly with that wind, the ball is going to fall right for me.
It looked like a really good shot for half the flight and then it started falling left, and when the other two lads, when they hit, the wind was basically straight in. So that was just an unfortunate moment. It was nice to get that one up-and-down. It wasn't the easiest chip shot. It was actually quite wet down there, which probably isn't surprising because it's next to a pond.
Yeah, we haven't had many lies like that this week. It's quite hard to judge. It's a little bit hit-and-hope, as they all are, but yeah, it was nice to make par in the end.
Q. Do you handle situations like that maybe better in the final round when you have to be so focused, especially when it's nip and tuck as it was today?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, it felt like it was really tight all day. I think I had one thing with myself that I try to stay as level-headed as I could, and I feel like in the early part of the round, I did a really good job of that.
And then sort of early in the back nine, I was probably getting a little bit more frustrated, probably around 12 and 13. It was actually on 13 when I found out that the double hit didn't count as an extra shot.
So for the whole time up to that moment, I thought I had a two-shot lead, and then it was only one. So that was an interesting one to deal with. But ultimately, I still just had to focus on each shot coming in and try and do the best job that I could.
Q. There's a little bit of European lineage between winning this, and then winning at Augusta when you think of Danny Willett and Sergio García. So if I could use that as a segue to ask you, from being an increasingly prolific winner at tour level, what do you think you need to acquire or require to convert that into really challenging for the majors this year?
TYRRELL HATTON: I don't know. I think I just -- I don't treat them any differently in how I feel when I'm playing on a Thursday or Friday and into the weekend. It's just trying your best, you have weeks where you get on a run and you play well for a period, and for some reason, the majors haven't fallen on the right week for me yet.
I'd love this year for one of the majors to fall on the right week. But I'll continue to do everything I need to to feel like I'm ready to go and play well at a major, and try and get my game in as good of shape and feel as comfortable as I can.
Yeah, it's certainly not through any lack of trying. Yeah, as we all know, golf is a pretty stupid game, how you can miss quarterback amount of cuts and out of nowhere you go and win the next week. That's all through perseverance and trying your best.
Q. Do you think winning on a course that has been set up as tough as this one was, as you did at Bay Hill with the wind there, does that give you sort of cause for confidence for major tests?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, I mean, I've been fortunate to win some big events, and with a world-class field. So the majors are just that. So if I give myself the opportunity, then of course you have to back yourself to think that you can go on and win.
And doing it on courses that are set up ridiculously hard, and even courses where the setup is a little bit more forgiving, you still have to go out there and hit the right shots and make putts. So yeah, hopefully this year I'll do better in the majors.
Q. We know what Ryder Cup means to you and you made no secret of that. How often do you think about the Ryder Cup over the last eight days?
TYRRELL HATTON: It did actually cross my mind, I can't remember, it was on one of the last few holes. 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. Hopefully I can continue to do that.
Q. And did you look at the scoreboard, and if you did, who were you looking out for behind you?
TYRRELL HATTON: I was just looking at the scores. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who is there. Everyone who is at the top of the leaderboard is very capable to go on and win.
So it doesn't matter who it is. At the end of the day you can't control what they do. So I just try and make the best swing I can and hopefully hole the putts that I need to to go on and win the tournament.
Q. I just wonder what you think about your third shot on 18 and the situation it brought you in.
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, well, I was pretty nervous over that. The tee shot wasn't an ideal position. I'm actually glad that it didn't do into a playoff because I don't think I'd be able to hit that head again. Yeah, I think it was cracked. It made a funny noise.
But yeah, the third shot, I think we had 127 pin into and some of the lies this week in the fairway are very tight. So the ball kind of spins up a bit off them, and even though it was 127 yards, a pitching wedge for me this week was around 140 to 142.
And even with the adrenaline and feeling nervous with the lie, I felt like I needed to hit wedge pretty good because I didn't want to take anything off it because if it does spin up, then you get a gust; the last place you want to be is in the water.
For a change, I was aiming away from a pin and just trying to get it somewhere within 25 feet and have a nice 2-putt but I ended up ripping it, and it's gone straight through the wind, and it was just in a pretty stressful position for a 2-putt. But thankfully I was able to do it.
Q. A year ago, you played here and there was a lot of speculation and noise around you. You then joined LIV. I wonder looking back at the scale at the calculation or the gamble that you wouldn't be able to play in this or the Dunhill, let alone win them, let alone be back in the top 10 of the world, and it looks now like it's paid off brilliantly, but how difficult was that at the time?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, and again, as I've said previously, making that decision to move over to LIV was really difficult and one that I didn't take lightly. It was a week off after being here, and I honestly hated that week to be honest.
But yeah, I mean, sitting here now and being able to have played DP World Tour events, you know, and again, when I signed, I feel like I went about it the right way. I spoke to the right people, and everyone knew like my stance and how I felt about the DP World Tour and wanting to still play events.
Yes, with the appeal process and what's happening there, that's allowed me to be able to play. And yeah, I love starting my season here in the Middle East.
It's been a (pausing thoughtfully) well, from watching the event as a kid, just makes these events that much more special and to be a part of them, and yeah, I mean, as I said, I love playing on the DP World Tour, and I feel like although I have moved over to LIV that I have still shown the commitment that I want to play.
Whatever happens with the appeal process, whenever that will be, you know, I hope that I will still be able to continue to support this tour.
Q. Does it excite you, the prospect of playing in a Ryder Cup in New York, and what did you make of the comedian who scribed you as a wee Amish farmer at the Team Cup?
TYRRELL HATTON: He actually said that I looked like a bouncer for Tesco's. (Laughter) It was a pretty loose December to be fair, so I'll let that one slide (laughter).
Yeah, I mean, the New York crowd are going to be very passionate for their own, and there's no secrets there. From having the experience of playing a Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, no European fans could travel because it was still in COVID times. So yes, there's going to be tons of support for the U.S. Team. They are playing at home.
But it will be nice to have a little bit of European support, as well, with -- touch wood -- that nothing bad happens, and everyone can still travel.
So there will be -- there will still be a little bit of noise for the Europeans, I think.
Q. You're obviously reminiscing about watching this tournament as a little bit back in England. How important is it for you to give back to junior golf? I don't think people maybe appreciate what you do for your home club and also juniors back in England.
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, so having -- it was funny. Like when we first setup the Tyrrell Hatton Junior Masters, I was pretty reluctant because I didn't feel like I had done anywhere near enough in the game of golf to even have like a junior tournament with my name on it.
And over the years, it's gone from strength-to-strength, and the golf club where I've been a member of since I was 10, they have been a great supporter of that, and my sponsors throughout the years, they have supported the event.
To have an event where there's no entry fee so no one can miss out on it through cost other than potentially the petrol to get there, and to have a nice goodie bag when they register, and all the food's complimentary, as well. I just want the kids to have a great day.
I remember playing in the Luke Donald Salver at Beaconsfield when I was a kid; it was the coolest thing.
So yeah, my management company do a lot of work with the Junior Masters, and it's something that I'm proud of that each year, the numbers have gotten higher and higher from the entries, and ultimately, it's just you want to see kids that are enjoying golf, and to have an event that they can look forward to, and yeah, it's a good feeling.
Q. We all have been told throughout our lives that golf is not a game of perfect but you don't seem to think like that. You just want a hundred per cent out of every shot that you hit. Can you just tell us a bit about that part of it?
TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, everyone says that you can't be perfect but I try to be perfect every shot I hit. I have high standards, and I get frustrated when I don't meet those standards. Yeah, generally, yeah, I'm always going to wear my heart on my sleeve and give it a hundred per cent, and that's never, ever going to change.
CLARE BODEL: On that note, thank you very much, Tyrrell, and congratulations.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports