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Tyrrell Hatton made a surprising decision to join LIV Golf. Although many did not expect that this great golfer would actually make such a decision, Hatton thought for a long time about what to do.
Making such a decision is never easy. On the one hand, the financial offer is huge and hard to resist. On the other hand, golf fans do not have huge respect for LIV Golf, and joining this Tour mostly causes negative reactions from fans.
Hatton wanted to make the best decision for himself. It appears that ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and the PIF significantly influenced his choice. Hatton hopes to play on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in the future, along with LIV Golf.
Tyler played with Rory McIlroy in the Ryder Cup this year. The Northern Irishman has changed his attitude over time, and now looks at LIV Golf in a completely different way.
Although in the beginning Rory was one of the biggest critics of LIV Golf, McIlroy recently confirmed that he regrets some statements regarding LIV Golf.
“Well, I’ve spoken to Rory a bit in the past week and back in December. That’s kind of along the lines of what he said to me. It’s not a surprise to hear him say that in the media,” -Hatton said, as quoted by golfmonthly.com
“Ultimately, I would like to still be able to play events on the other two tours. But we’ll see how all that works out.”
This will be a completely new chapter in his career. He’s been part of the PGA Tour for years, and now he’s in an unfamiliar environment. A period of adaptation is necessary for me to understand how things work at LIV Golf. Hatton is excited like never before, but at the same time motivated to prove himself and show LIV Golf fans what a quality golfer he is. Tyler doesn’t want to rush things too much.
“Yeah, it has that feel of like the first day at school. Kind of feel like I’m finding my feet a little bit. That’ll take a bit of time. But excited to be here and looking forward to getting started on Friday.
I’m not actually up to speed yet for all the guys on all the teams, but ultimately we’re just going out there, trying our best like we do every other week.”
He is aware that somewhat worse performances can be expected from individuals, including himself. However, Hatton doesn’t want to make excuses right from the start. He believes in himself and hopes for positive results.
“With it being the first week back for a lot of guys, there’s potentially going to be a little bit of rust there. But having said that, if I go out and play a bad round of golf on Friday, I don’t really have much excuse.”
Tyler Hatton and Jon Rahm’s friendship
Hatton decided to join LIV Golf because of the positive experience and success he had while playing alongside Jon Rahm in the Ryder Cup. The teamwork and camaraderie they shared during the Ryder Cup made Hatton appreciate the team aspect of LIV Golf. He expressed a desire for the ongoing team spirit found in team sports, which influenced his decision to sign with LIV Golf.
Jon Rahm’s decision to join LIV Golf shocked golf fans. The Spaniard got a huge amount of money. He had a difficult time considering whether to really accept such an offer, given the role he played on the PGA Tour. However, such money is difficult for many to refuse.
In addition, thinking about his decision, the Spaniard wanted to put his family and children first.
“The decision, like I said, was for me and my family. So what I believe is the better path for me right now, it was worth risking the Ryder Cup.”
Making such a decision brings certain consequences. Leaving the PGA Tour also means losing a large number of fans. Some still haven’t forgiven Rahm for such a move, but he doesn’t want to bother too much with it.
He knew that his decision would bring consequences. The most important thing for him is that he has close people by his side who will support him when he needs it the most. Right now is that moment.
“I think some people are gonna be texting me soon saying, ‘What the *?’ Right?. But it’s only understandable. But again, like I said, I believe most of my friends are going to have my back. And the very few that I’ve been able to speak to were pretty much like family, already support me.”– Rahm said.
