Tyrrell Hatton produced a brilliant final round to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as Rory McIlroy missed out on the title once again.
Hatton carded a closing 66 to finish 18 under par and secure a sixth European Tour title and fourth in the lucrative Rolex Series, a victory which will go a long way towards securing a second Ryder Cup appearance in September.
Australia’s Jason Scrivener recorded an eagle and five birdies in a back nine of 29 to claim second place on 14 under, with McIlroy a shot further back following a disappointing 72.
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Tyrrell Hatton secures his fourth #RolexSeries title with victory at the #ADGolfChamps ?#WitnessTheIncredible pic.twitter.com/98mda7pCd7
— Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (@ADGolfChamps) January 24, 2021
McIlroy took a one-shot advantage into the final round and doubled his lead thanks to birdies on the second and third, but three-putted the fourth and also dropped a shot on the par-five eighth following a poor drive.
Playing partner Hatton matched McIlroy’s birdie on the second and also picked up shots on the seventh and ninth to reach the turn with a two-shot lead.
McIlroy looked certain to close the gap when he found the par-five 10th in two, inches closer to the hole than Hatton was in three, but Hatton holed from 35 feet for an unlikely birdie and McIlroy two-putted for his.
What a putt @TyrrellHatton!
Four under for the day. Leading by two.#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/IHzOvR0qUV
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 24, 2021
A bogey on the 11th dropped McIlroy further off the pace and Hatton made certain of victory with birdies on the 13th and 16th.
McIlroy now has four second-place finishes, four thirds and a fifth in his last 10 starts in Abu Dhabi, but will be disappointed at failing to claim his first win since November 2019, especially after starting with a superb 64.
