Tyrrell Hatton holds his head and wins his first PGA tour title

ORLANDO, Fla. – A year ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tyrrell Hatton from England hit a wave shot so crookedly and quirky that he turned to his Caddy, Mick Donaghy, and asked, "Have you seen a worse wave shot?"

Donaghy, who was carrying a bag professionally for more than three decades, remained stupid until Hatton insisted: "Answer the question."

"No," Donaghy finally said.

Hatton agreed: "That is terrible."

Recorded on videotape and widely viewed on social media, the exchange was how golf fans were best knew Hatton – unless it was the video he tweeted when his fiancé, Emily Braisher, during his backswing at the Italian Open per accidentally slammed a portable toilet door, added a tweet with the hashtag #weddingsoff. (Hatton was joking.)

But Sunday, in the final round of this year's Arnold Palmer event, the entertaining, fleeting but charismatic Hatton left his mark on the golf world in a more permanent, arguable way constructive way. Resolutely in windy, challenging circumstances – there was only one round in the 60s in the last two days on Bay Hill – Hatton earned his first PGA Tour victory with a gutty, two-over-par 74 on Sunday that made him a battle ahead was in second place, Marc Leishman. [4] Hatton, a four-time winner on the European Tour, finished the tournament at four o'clock under par, a big smile on his face and a quick joke about his remarkable mood.

"I was annoyed and could have blown easily at times, but I held my head a little bit, & # 39; said Hatton, who once joked that his nickname should be Head Case Hatton." today would be for me to manage myself. I did it properly. "

Hatton & # 39; s victory over a deep field only comes in his second tournament since the operation on his right wrist in November. On Friday, when asked how he had spent his time rehabilitating the operation, Hatton smiled and said, "I drank a lot of red wine and played Xbox. That's it. When the cast came out and I was told I could play Xbox, I didn't doubt it. "

It may not be the usual regiment for a comeback, but it seems to be appropriate for the capricious Hatton, who entered the event 32nd in the world golf rankings. At his first tournament back, a World Golf Champi onship event in Mexico last month, Hatton, 28, finished in sixth place.

Sunday, in his 60th start on the PGA Tour, he had a head start for the first time in the final round. But his two-stroke advantage over Leishman and Rory McIlroy disappeared less than an hour after Hatton's opening shot.

McIlroy made an early run on Sunday and quickly jumped into the lead with a birdie on the fourth hole just after a shaking bogey by Hatton on his first hole. But McIlroy, who regained the No. 1 ranking for the first time in five years last month due to consistent results, faltered badly after tying Hatton.

After Saturday's third round, McIlroy said his primary goal in the fourth round was to prevent a large number from entering a hole. But after throwing the fifth, McIlroy & # 39; s third shot rattled to the par-5 sixth hole around a pile of rocks that separated the greenery from a pond. Forced to take a penalty and a drop for his next shot, McIlroy ended up with a crushing double bogey as his seven foot bogey putt slid past the hole.

McIlroy shot a four over 40 on the front nine holes and never seriously threatened the leaders, ending with a four-over-par 76.

The back nine of the tournament would be in place a tight fight between Hatton, Leishman and Sungjae Im, the 21-year-old from South Korea who won the Honda Classic last week. Hatton & # 39; s balance was most tested after a double bogey on the 11th hole when the stability he had shown during most of the tournament seemed to disappear with one shot in the water and another over the green. Hatton said the deceptive gusts of wind ruined what were otherwise good shots.

"It was frustrating," he said.

But despite the fickle nature of the upcoming task – and some less than perfect results – Hatton finished with stabilized pars on his last seven holes, including the 17th hole par-3 and the demanding 18th hole, both requiring nerve-racking shots for greens that were protected by long stretches of water.

Hatton said he found the calmness to perform test shots in uneven circumstances, partly because his long discharge after the operation lowered his expectations. Meanwhile, Im made a late attack but stumbled with a double bogey on the 13th hole to finish in third place two strokes behind the winning score.

At the end of the day, Hatton wore a red cardigan, a favorite fashion choice from Palmer that is awarded to the winner of the tournament. He said he would remove the item of clothing not long after he left the Bay Hill site.

"I don't want to ruin it," Hatton said giggling, "and with the celebrations that will take place tonight, I think it's best to put it on a clothes hanger."