Turkish Open: Tyrrell Hatton wins six-man play-off
- Published
Tyrrell Hatton played the par-five 18th at the Turkish Airlines Open eight times during the tournament, making five birdies and no bogeys
Turkish Airlines Open: Final round leaderboard |
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-20 T Hatton (Eng)*, M Schwab (Aut), K Kitayama (US), B Hebert (Fra), V Perez (Fra), E van Rooyen (SA) *Hatton wins at the fourth extra hole |
-18 S Sharma (Ind), R MacIntyre (Sco); -17 R Langasque (Fra) |
Selected others: -16 L Westwood (Eng), P Reed (US); -13 J Rose (Eng); -8 D Willett (Eng): -1 S Lowry (Ire) |
England's Tyrrell Hatton has won the Turkish Open at the fourth extra hole following a dramatic six-man play-off.
Ryder Cup player Hatton, 28, claimed the title after Austria's Matthias Schwab missed a short par putt.
They finished under floodlights after six players had tied on 20 under par.
American Kurt Kitayama was knocked out after three holes while French duo Benjamin Hebert and Victor Perez, and South Africa's Erik van Rooyen were eliminated at the first extra hole.
It was an incredible afternoon at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course which ended with the first six-man play-off on the European Tour since 2003.
And it needed four goes at the 18th hole, a par five of 558 yards, to decide the outcome.
How the play-off unfolded (all on the 18th): |
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Hole 1: Hatton, Schwab and Kitayama all make birdies. Perez and Hebert make pars, and van Rooyen a bogey. |
Hole 2: Hatton, Schwab and Kitayama make par fives. |
Hole 3: Hatton and Schwab have fours. Kitayama can only par. |
Hole 4: Hatton pars. Schwab three-putts for a bogey six. Hatton is the winner. |
Kitayama and Schwab made birdies the first time they played it and it needed a brilliant chip-in from off the green to keep Hatton alive, as the other three were knocked out.
The American had originally set the clubhouse target at 20 under, after shooting nine birdies in an eight-under 64, the joint-lowest round of the day.
The 26-year-old from California looked on course for his third European Tour win of the season as he stood over a short birdie chance at the second extra hole but his effort shaved the cup.
And his par was not enough next time as Schwab sank a brilliant putt to match Hatton's birdie.
But there was to be no maiden win for the 24-year-old Austrian as he missed a short par putt on the fourth playing of the 18th to hand Hatton victory.
It was Hatton's fourth European Tour title and his first since winning the Italian Open in October 2017.
He takes a first prize of $2m (£1.56m) and jumps up to sixth in the Race to Dubai standings with only two events of the season remaining.
He has also made sure of finishing the year inside the world's top 50, which will guarantee his invitation for the Masters at Augusta National in April.
"I can't believe I've won," he told Sky Sports. "It's been quite a difficult year with some things off the course but I really found my game in the last month.
"It's easy to take things for granted in sport but it hits home when it's not going well.
"I said I would really savour it if I won again and I will. I'm absolutely thrilled."
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre missed the play-off, finishing in a tie for seventh, two shots behind the leaders, after a final-round 69.
It is a sixth top-10 finish for the 23-year-old in his maiden season on the European Tour.