Tyrrell Hatton made his 10th start at The Masters, nearly achieving a massive victory, but the reigning champion Rory McIlroy was not to be denied.
McIlroy completed an impressive run to his second Green Jacket, which started with a dominant first several rounds, then became interesting in the finale. Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Rose were within contention at various points on Sunday.
McIlroy had a few misfires here and there, but ultimately it was the Northern Irish golf star making history as the fourth individual to win back-to-back Masters.
Following his final round, English pro golfer Hatton, who joined LIV Golf in 2024, shared his thoughts on McIlroy as a player and his accomplishments at Augusta National.
Hatton said last year was “a roller coaster back nine” for McIlroy and everyone else, but called it “amazing” for him to complete the grand slam.
“And coming into this week in some ways the pressure is off, but he still wants to go out and win like everyone else does this week,” he said.
“And, yeah, when it comes down to it on Sunday, I bet he’s still nervous and still means a lot to him to win,” Hatton said, per HITC.
Hatton praised McIlroy ahead of the win for what would be a historic accomplishment. Only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Nick Faldo had won back-to-back Masters.
“He would join a list of Tiger, Jack, and Faldo, to … what’s the word … defend, which is unbelievable,” he said.
“So, yeah, he’s an incredible player and pretty cool what he’s done in the game.”
Hatton’s performance was also quite impressive, particularly in the second round, where he had a historic 66. He made history, becoming one of only three players to hit all 18 greens in a single Masters round over the past 30 years.
He was one of several LIV golfers involved in the tournament who made the weekend cut. Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Charl Schwartzel, and Sergio Garcia also did. Garcia caught attention for his meltdown on the course after teeing off and ultimately destroying a club.
Hatton made LIV look respectable with his performance, though.
When it was all said and done, he finished 10-under par and tied for third place on the leaderboard with Justin Rose, Russell Henley, and Cameron Young. That marked a career-best for Hatton in his 10th appearance in the event, and continues to show that Hatton is always a legitimate threat to win.