Hatton's Hat-trick

Golf at St Andrews always feels special, and the Alfred Dunhill Links provided plenty of occasion and spectacle to the Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and Old Course over the weekend.

Not least of all was the novelty of a brand-new statue of Old Tom Morris being unveiled the day before the tournament’s initial round. The statue sits behind the Royal & Ancient Golf Club’s clubhouse, facing down the 18^th fairway of the Old Course, greeting players as they conclude their final hole.

Played over three separate courses, the Alfred Dunhill Links is a unique championship that combines both an individual professional tournament and a team competition that includes amateurs playing alongside a professional.

Plenty of recognizable faces emerged to take part in the featured Pro-Am format, including notable celebrities like Gareth Bale and Bill Murray. Last year Matt Fitzpatrick won the event alongside his mum Susan.

Ryder Cup star and current world no.20 Tyrrell Hatton won the individual competition by a single stroke over Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts. Hatton, playing alongside his dad, started the Sunday on a combined 38-under after he scored a 61 on the Saturday, tying the Old Course record.

Colsaerts had put in a steady 2-under-par final round to finish on 23-under-par. Despite scoring so well on the Saturday, Hatton succumbed to a triple-bogey on the 13^th and a double-bogey on the 14^th while playing the back 9 of the Old Course, causing him to drop to 23-under-par.

He narrowly avoided a playoff however when he hit an incredible drive and follow up chip on the 18^th hole to leave him with a tidy tap-in birdie on the 18^th hole, taking him to 24-under-par and securing him as the tournament’s winner.

It was the third time Tyrrell Hatton won the Alfred Dunhill Links having won consecutively back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. To have been victorious at such a prestigious event at a well-loved location again was clearly an emotional feat for the Englishman.

“Yeah it feels good. It’s the first time I’ve actually won a tournament with my dad here so it means a lot. And yeah to do it at the home of golf is really special. I’m trying not to cry to be honest I’m a bit lost for words.”

We all love golf, and watching it take place at St Andrews is always a joy to watch. If you’re paying golf yourself this week we’d be happy to help you in the pro shop if you have any enquiries.