Tyrrell Hatton has desert redemption on his mind. In the Englishman’s last start, at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, a 72nd-hole stumble allowed Matthew Fitzpatrick to claim the trophy. With one round to play here at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Hatton holds a one-stroke lead that he hopes, this time, will be converted. Perhaps then proper notice will be taken of this outstanding 25-year-old from High Wycombe, who has already surged to No23 in the world rankings without anything approaching the status afforded to British tennis players of far lesser standing.
Not that Hatton’s 68, which moved him to 13 under par, was fully expected by the man himself. He admitted to taking full advantage of the festive season. “I expected to be pretty rusty coming in here,” he said. “I didn’t do a whole lot of prep. I spent most of my time playing Xbox and chilling out at home, to be perfectly honest. So it’s a little bit of a surprise to see where I’m at this week.
“Big names are up there so I’ve just got to focus on my game and try and play as well as I can. I love this place. It’s one of my favourite events of the year, so hopefully I can go out there tomorrow and have a good day.”
Hatton can perhaps draw inspiration from last year’s Dunhill Links Championship. Then, a Sunday 66 at the Old Course meant he triumphed by four. Still, Hatton is correct to acknowledge the quality of those in pursuit.
Two major champions – Martin Kaymer and Dustin Johnson – are among a quintet a stroke from the leaderboard’s summit. Johnson put himself into contention with a superb third round of 64, with the US Open champion citing the absence of jet lag as key to his improved touch. “Everything was moving better today after a good night’s sleep,” he said. “I even got up and went to the gym this morning before I teed off. That’s definitely by far the best day I’ve been feeling out on the course.”
There are 15 players within three of Hatton, including Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood. Rickie Fowler could fare no better than 71 meaning, at five under par, there is next to no chance of the Californian successfully defending his title.
“We are still at the races,” said Stenson, who partnered Hatton and was outscored by three. “I know I’ve got to shoot in the mid-60s to have a chance and that’s definitely doable.
“I thought I played my best round today. But I shaved the edges quite a few times with the putter and again, same as yesterday, I didn’t really get the scoring going. In terms of competition, that’s not really what you want but in terms of progress, I’m more happy with my ball-striking today than I was round one.”
Kaymer, perhaps, should be the most worthy of support. The German’s collapse over the closing stretch here in 2015 remains one of the most noteworthy affairs in recent European Tour history, for all the wrong reasons. In hinting perhaps at lingering scar tissue, Kaymer has not won anywhere since. “This event doesn’t owe me one, that was all my own fault,” he said after a third-round 72. “I didn’t really get unlucky. It was just poor shots at the wrong time. A lot can happen tomorrow.
“Usually when you lead the tournament by three or four shots, you expect yourself to win and other people expect you to win. I know how it is. I don’t mind it; I would have loved to be in the lead but it didn’t quite work out. But this is a good position to be in. I can play very free, very aggressive.”
