Tyrrell Hatton: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship win underlines world class credentials

Tyrrell Hatton's win in Abu Dhabi moved him above Rory McIlroy in the world rankings

Twelve months ago Tyrrell Hatton was working hard to recover from wrist surgery and now he is coming to terms with being officially one of the best five golfers on the planet.

It is fair to say this new status, which follows his stunning victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last Sunday, has yet to fully sink in. Hatton eclipsed a stellar field in a four-shot triumph that fully underlined his world class credentials.

"The win last week still feels a little bit surreal alongside with where we've moved up to in the world rankings," he admitted. "It doesn't feel like it was me who won the tournament."

Hatton's celebrations last Sunday night were relatively muted. He drank just three beers before bidding farewell to his fiancé Emily who was on an overnight flight back to London.

The 29-year-old Englishman is preparing for this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic, an event he missed last year during a three month absence due to the operation on his right wrist in November 2019.

Since returning to action, Hatton has become the UK's leading player. There have been three wins of the very highest quality and he should not be surprised at his current elevated standing in the world game.

"Tyrrell has become an incredible golfer," fellow Englishman Ian Poulter told BBC Sport. "Number five in the world is an impressive position to be in and deservedly so."

It is worth noting the calibre of opposition Hatton has overcome during the spell since he returned to action in February last year.

At the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March he outlasted seasoned Aussie Marc Leishman and the outstanding Korean prodigy Sungjae Im on a leaderboard that also included US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.

Then at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last September, Hatton cruised to victory in the European Tour's flagship tournament by seeing off the excellent Frenchman Victor Perez, Andy Sullivan and 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed.

Last week he outscored McIlroy by six strokes, 66 to 72, after trailing the four times major champion by a shot when they began their final rounds playing together in Abu Dhabi.

"I don't see myself as anything special. Just going about my business, doing my own thing," Hatton said. "That's just the way I am, I guess."

But the 45-year-old Poulter, a Ryder Cup legend and himself a former world number five, sees Hatton as a special talent.

Hatton and Poulter played a practice round together at Augusta National before the 2020 Masters

"He won Bay Hill in good fashion and he's put himself in there as a player that's very gutsy," Poulter said.

"He takes shots on, he challenges himself, he puts a lot of pressure on himself. The expectation he puts on himself is big."

Poulter also noted Hatton's sometimes tempestuous character which was the central theme of the European Tour's latest "Angry Golfer" social media video.

"You know, he's a larger than life character, he wears his heart on is sleeve. Some people misunderstand Tyrrell a little bit, I guess, for some of the ways he portrays himself on the golf course.

"He's definitely a character and I think that's what we as players see in him. He's different, he's not the norm and that's the beauty in what you see in Tyrrell Hatton."

The player himself has found a way to deal with the inner demons that surface when certain shots do not meet expectations that are clearly very high. He even did a couple of 'thumbs up' gestures in a nod to the European Tour video.

"I'm quite calm and don't get too pumped up over the good ones," Hatton said. "I don't think I fist-pumped once on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. I feel like I'm pretty chilled in that sense, but more vocal if I hit a loose one."

As he surveys an exciting schedule, which will take him from Dubai to Saudi Arabia next week before heading back to the United States, he seems unlikely to be carried away with his success.

Only Masters champion Dustin Johnson, Spain's Jon Rahm and American major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are currently ranked above the Marlow pro.

"I wouldn't say I'm uncomfortable with the position I'm in, I just don't see myself as anything different," Hatton said. "It's not something that I really worry about.

"I'm just trying to play good golf and let the world rankings take care of themselves, if you're able to do that. Fortunately for me, the last 14 months, I've been on a really good run and I'm hoping that continues."