2016 Alfred Dunhill Links: Sealed with a Kiss - Terrific Tyrrell Triumphs

Tyrrell Hatton took the drama out of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by dominating the championship in a fashion we have never seen before, and may never see again. A Sunday round of 66 to add to his Saturday stunner of 62 was enough to give him a comfortable four stroke victory over a resurgent Richard Sterne and Ross Fisher, it may have not been the usual thrills and spills of a Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but it was the birth of a new star in British golf.

Hatton said: “It feels amazing. I've wanted this moment since I was a six-year-old. It’s a dream come true and to do it here at the Home of Golf is fantastic. I’m just happy I got over the line. It’s been a fantastic week, I had my girlfriend Emily with me and my management team. And to come away with a trophy, just makes it even more special. I was pretty nervous going out there, but I'm really happy with how I dealt with that, and my caddie, Chris Rice, was a big influence. He just told me to try and stay patient. He’s done a fantastic job this week and this year.”

It was Hatton’s first win on the European Tour and his score of 23-under-par tied the lowest total in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, achieved by David Howell and Peter Uihlein in 2013. His win secured him US$800,000 and moved the golfer from High Wycombe up to fourth in the Race to Dubai.

Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is always unlike most days in the golfing calendar, the atmosphere changes from fun tournament to a serious championship and with Old Course playing host to the entire field it usually provides unrivalled drama. From the final Monday putt from the Valley of Sin by Paul Lawrie in the fog, to the stunning Lee Westwood win in 2003 and playoff between Stephen Gallacher and Graeme McDowell in 2004.

The championship has provided many memories since its inception in 2001, as its predecessor, the Alfred Dunhill Cup did from 1985 to 2000. Whilst Hatton has a comfortable lead, should any of the chasing pack get off to a hot start we could be in for a sensational Sunday shootout in St Andrews yet again.

Hatton began with a lead of three shots, but any lead can be caught on a front nine which offers numerous birdie opportunities and a back nine which has many opportunities for disaster.

Richard Sterne’s return to form continued with a faultless final round of 66 to finish at 19-under-par and tie for second place with Ross Fisher. The South African made birdies at the fourth, sixth, ninth, eleventh, fourteenth and seventeenth to record his fifth top ten of the season. In a career which has been hampered by injury the 35-year-old from Stellenbosch earned the largest cheque of his career at the home of golf.

England’s Ross Fisher was denied victory in the recent Porsche European Open when he was defeated by Alexandre Levy in Germany, and for large periods of the week he looked like adding to his five European Tour wins.

Beginning the day some five shots adrift of Hatton the big-hitting former Ryder Cup star carded a faultless final round of 67 to move into a tie for second place with Richard Sterne. Birdies at the sixth, seventh, tenth, fifteenth and eighteenth saw him move into the top twenty of the Race to Dubai.

The 24-year-old showed no signs of letting anyone back in front of him, hitting accurate drives and laser-like irons, and demonstrating a killer touch on the greens. In a near faultless round in calm conditions, Hatton had seven birdies, the only bogey coming at the tricky 17th Road Hole. But by then he was home and dry and none of the chasing pack was able to eat into his lead. Sterne also managed a 66 and Fisher a 67, but there was an inevitability to Hatton’s victory.

Two solid pars at the first and second proved to be a platform for a spectacular final round with a sole blemish at the Road Hole, 17. Birdies at the third, fourth and fifth took all of the energy out of the chasing pack and led to a flat atmosphere around the Old Course.

He was simply running away with it.

Further birdies at the twelfth, fourteenth and fifteenth, the latter set up by a stunning approach to a foot, sealed the deal, making the final three holes a coronation of the new champion.

After sinking the final putt on the eighteenth he was warmly hugged by his amateur playing partner, Jamie Dornan, and showered with champagne by his girlfriend Emily and his entourage. The win continued an excellent year for him in which he has tied for fifth place in the Open Championship and recorded a top ten finish at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.

Hatton now seems likely to go on and become a significant force in British golf, but he refuses to get carried away. He said: “Time will tell. I'll keep trying to do my thing and play as good as I can. One of my goals was to get inside the top 50 in the world. I think I was 53rd coming into this week, and I am looking forward to Monday morning, when the world rankings come out and see what position I am.”

Hatton has been tipped for the top since turning professional in 2011 but despite much promise and a number of high finishes the man from Buckinghamshire, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next week, he had not won on the European Tour. Now having done so it would seem the perfect launching pad for a bid to reach the upper echelons of the game.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper