Tyrrell Hatton followed the footsteps of his Ryder Cup mate Jon Rahm to join LIV Golf earlier this year. He eventually joined the newest LIV Golf team, the Legion XIII GC, which the Spaniard captains. Recently, in an interview with BBC Sports, the Englishman revealed his reason behind joining the Saudi-backed league. He stated that it was so difficult for him to decide to switch that he wished somebody else could do that for him.
The 32-year-old stated that he forged a great relationship with Rahm during the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. He also said that the team aspect of the league intrigued him to join.
“We obviously get on very well and we had a good record in Rome. So, there were certain things with LIV that I really liked. But, as I say, it was going into the unknown, and not sure if it would be the right thing. But so far I’m happy and ultimately that’s the most important thing,” Hatton said.
Tyrrell Hatton Claims That Money Was Not The Only Reason Behind Him Switching To LIV Golf
The 32-year-old Englishman revealed that money was not the prime reason for him joining the Saudi-backed league. However, he added that the schedule and team perspectives did have an impact on his decision to make a switch from the PGA Tour. As quoted by the BBC Sport, he said,
“Everyone knows that side of it,” Hatton said. “Yeah, it’s nice but ultimately it’s not everything. I like that idea of being part of a team, I like the schedule and not in the sense of playing less. That’s not my goal whatsoever. I like the fact that we’re going to different places around the world.”
Tyrrell Hatton said that if he had not made a switch to LIV Golf and stayed on the PGA Tour, he would have had the best chance of making it into the majors and the European Ryder Cup team. However, the decision was hard to take as he did not know which was the right one.
“I spoke to so many people in that week, almost to the point of wanting to have someone to make the decision for me. It was hard. You don’t know what’s the right decision,” Hatton said and continued, “I knew that if I stayed and played PGA Tour, if I play how I have been for the past seven, eight years then I should stay within the top 50 and give myself the best chance of making the Ryder Cup and playing in all the majors and that’s what I want to do.”
Tyrrell Hatton is now a happy member of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII GC. He has already participated in four of the LIV Golf events and is heading for the fifth one at Trump National Doral Golf Course, Miami. However, it remains to be seen if his wish to play another Ryder Cup gets fulfilled or not.
