Tyrrell Hatton often treads the thin line between childish and childlike. His on-course tantrums are legendary, and definitely fall into the former category.
For example, an incident when he snapped a club in a strop at the DP World Tour Championship in November earned him a fine and the sort of rebuke teachers reserve for the most insolent schoolkids.
He was grumpy again on Saturday at Emirates Golf Club, and took out his frustration on the tee box at the par-three seventh hole during a testing third round at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
“I’m aware that it's not the right thing to do, but in the heat of the moment when you're frustrated, you just do things that you probably wish you didn't do,” Hatton said.
“But I'm not going to let it bother me for the rest of the day. If that's the worst thing I do as a human, then it's not that bad.”
The 33-year-old Englishman can do sweetness, too. He said he was chuffed with the “brilliant” support he has had from the galleries this week.
And asked what it would mean to him to win the Classic, he acknowledged it would be like a childhood dream.
Hatton already has four Rolex Series event wins to his name. He fired a four-under-par 68 amid blustery conditions at the Majlis Course on Saturday to put himself to 12-under and within a shot of the lead.
Daniel Hillier will start the last match of Sunday’s final round with the narrowest advantage over his playing partner, Hatton. Ewen Ferguson, the other player in their three-ball, is two shots further back on 10-under.
Although Ferguson and Hillier have made the running in the tournament so far, Hatton is undoubtedly the star of their group. He is intent on adding one of the flagship titles to his resume.
“It would mean a lot,” Hatton said. “I remember as a kid, waking up early in the morning on Thursday and Friday and being excited to watch the Desert Classic.
“It's an iconic event on the DP World Tour, and I think it's certainly one of those events that you could probably ask any player out here, and it's one that they would love to have on their C.V.
“I'll go out there tomorrow and give it my absolute best, which is all I can do, and see how we go tomorrow.”
Hillier is of a very similar view, even if he is approaching the final day from a humbler vantage point than Hatton.
The New Zealander is ranked 223rd in the world and has not had a top-10 finish since the Spanish Open in October 2023.
“It would be life-changing,” Hillier said of the idea of lifting the Dallah Trophy on Sunday evening.
“Last year was pretty tough. It was a bit of a grind. I was getting pretty frustrated with myself towards the end of the year. I gave myself a little bit of a break and time to reset, and I'm feeling refreshed. I’m excited for tomorrow.”
The leaderboard is less starry than expected at the start of the week, but at least the defending champion, Rory McIlroy, has not ruled himself out of the running just yet.
The Northern Irishman is tied 12th on six-under. He is hoping the windy conditions mean the leading pack stays bunched, so he can mount a last-day surge.
“[To reach 15-under] I'd need to go out and shoot 63 tomorrow,” McIlroy said. “If the conditions are right, I've been able to do that before, especially if you can make a score on the front nine before, with that scorable back nine.
“[So] my key tomorrow is if I can get off to a faster start and shoot three or four on the front, then I have a chance.”
