THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press center. Great to have you here. It's been a great year. What are your thoughts on getting a win this week?
TYRRELL HATTON: It will be a nice way to finish the season. This year for me has been an interesting year. It was nice to win again. LIV Nashville was the first time I'd won a professional tournament for 3 1/2 years. So that was a big moment for me.
Q. Have you golfed yet?
TYRRELL HATTON: No, my flight landed at 11:00 last night. So I'll see the course for the first time this afternoon.
Q. How is your game coming?
TYRRELL HATTON: Well, I've not really done a lot the last three weeks, just kind of winding down for Christmas. Not really any expectations. See how we go.
Q. Is it fair to say it's been one of your best seasons, in your mind?
TYRRELL HATTON: I guess so. Performances in the majors certainly after the Masters were disappointing, but in terms of my consistency and having chances to win tournaments has been -- maybe I've been a little bit more consistent on that front.
I don't really think about it too much. I just sort of go out and play and see how we end up.
Q. I just wanted to ask you just about the international rankings right now. The race is really heating up. Obviously the last tournament of the season, and you've got Peter Uihlein leading the way. Obviously he won last week. Catlin in second and Campbell in third. What are your thoughts on who you think will win it?
TYRRELL HATTON: Well, in terms of -- well, the winner gets a spot on LIV for next year, right? Pete's already on the team. So I guess in that sense, you'd quite like John to finish in the top spot. For him this is an important week.
Someone like me, I don't have the added pressure of playing this week. It's kind of just see how we go. But for those guys trying to earn a spot on LIV, it certainly gives them an added incentive.
Q. What do you make of Peter's play? He plays on LIV. And Catlin as well, I think he played seven times on LIV this season. What do you make of both their games?
TYRRELL HATTON: They're both fantastic players. Pete was the number one amateur player in the world when I was playing amateur golf. He's certainly played a lot better over the last couple of years, which is obviously good for him.
John, he's played really well when he's had the opportunity on LIV this year. I know he's won a few times on the DP World Tour as well.
They're both fantastic players. I'm sure it will be an interesting week for them.
Q. You described your year as interesting, which is an interesting word to use. Just wondered if you could expand on that a little bit.
TYRRELL HATTON: It's just interesting.
Q. In what ways?
TYRRELL HATTON: Obviously new experiences, traveling to some new places. Yeah, other than that, I'd say it's interesting.
Q. Looking at your career the last few years, you've been quite a regular performer and player in tournaments. I feel now with LIV and other activations, you're probably playing a little less maybe. Is that fair? How are you coping with that mentally, physically, and emotionally?
TYRRELL HATTON: I disagree with playing less, if I'm honest, because I think this is my 26th, it might even be my 27th event of the year. This year has been a very busy year. Yeah, since the LIV season finished, obviously I tried to play as much as I could on the DP World Tour to try and get the Ryder Cup points I need to be earning.
Thankfully for me, I was able to win the Dunhill, which was massive and allowed me to play Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and then having ultimately two good weeks there as well.
But again, touching on John having an incentive this week, like I had incentives those weeks to earn Ryder Cup points. Sometimes having the added motivation that you know you need to play well because your opportunities are more limited is sometimes a good thing. Thankfully it worked out for me.
Q. So the last couple of weeks since Dubai, you workout, gym, all that type of thing, or you just chill out?
TYRRELL HATTON: I had good intentions to go in the gym. I was in the Maldives for seven days after Dubai. Yeah, I enjoyed myself there.
Yeah, just had a week at home. Then ultimately I had good intentions to use the gym. It didn't quite work out that way. I think it's something about this time of year and end of season, you just try and enjoy yourself a bit more. I don't have any regrets over that.
Q. Did you play better after a break, or are you still rusty?
TYRRELL HATTON: I think everyone's rusty after a break, but sometimes that can help because then your expectations are a little bit lower. Yeah, we'll see how we go this week. I've got new woods in the bag this week, so it's a good opportunity for me to test them out and feel comfortable with them before the start of next year. Next year is going to be a big year.
Q. Can I just ask about the course conditions, your first impressions, and also the golf club facilities?
TYRRELL HATTON: That would be a really good question if I hadn't arrived last night.
Q. Just first impressions of the golf club, inside?
TYRRELL HATTON: The coffee is really good (laughter). I can't comment on the golf course. I've not seen any pictures of it. When I get out there this afternoon, I'll be seeing it for the first time.
Is the LIV event here in February? Yes, so it will be nice to get familiar with the golf course and go from there.
Q. Can I just ask you, in the back of your -- when you talk about your challenges for the new season, what are your challenges for the new season? Are they the same? And those that are not the same, how difficult could they be? In terms of majors next year and also coming from the DP World Tour too. Those goals you set yourself for so long, how difficult could they be and challenging next year?
TYRRELL HATTON: Next year for me is, yes, I want to be on the Ryder Cup team. I think with how certainly the win at the Dunhill and then playing well in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the World Rankings that I got from there, I think I'm pretty much secure in -- I don't think I can fall outside the top 100, so I'll be in the U.S. PGA. And I don't think I can fall outside the top 60 before the cut for the U.S. Open. The fact that I've got all four U.S. majors next year is great.
Outside of that, the only event I've got Ryder Cup points would be the Desert Classic in January. So as I already touched on earlier, my opportunities for Ryder Cup points are more limited than others.
Hopefully I can play -- I'm going to have to play really well to be in the automatic picks, but yeah, really my only golf for next year is The Open. I really want to be on the Ryder Cup team. As everyone says, once you've played one, you never want to miss one again. I've been fortunate to play in the last three, and I'd love to make it four in September.
Q. Are you at this stage of your career where you want to be? Watching you in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and also the Links Championship, you contended in all three. You won the first -- the last, the Links, against a top class field. When you tee up for a major now, do you tee up thinking I can win this? Or are you teeing up thinking, okay, let's try and make top 10. What's your mindset?
TYRRELL HATTON: I would like to think that everyone's competitive enough that you're not just going into the tournament hoping you can top 10. Obviously when you tee it up, you're there trying to win the tournament. Whether that's a major championship, playing on LIV, playing a DP World Tour event, it doesn't -- the sort of mindset of why you're there doesn't really change.
In terms of am I where I want to be in my career at the moment, I'm only 33, so although this is the end of my 11th year playing at the top level of professional golf -- it sounds crazy to say that it's already been 11 years, but I would have liked to have probably done better in majors. I certainly would have liked to have contended in at least one of them. I think my best finish is probably 4th or 5th in a major. From my point of view, that's not really anything to get overly excited about.
Maybe next year will be the year that I actually give myself a chance, but ultimately I try my best every week. Some weeks work out better than others.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports