Tyrrell Hatton has opened up about how joining LIV Golf led him to leave Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy‘s tech-focused TGL league. The English professional golfer also noted that even though he left McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf team, they remain friends and are on good terms.
Hatton explained the situation, recounting how he contacted McIlroy when he decided to join the Saudi-backed league. He also informed the Northern Irish golfer that, as per the TGL contract, he wouldn’t be able to now play in the tech-based league.
Tyrrell Hatton said (via The Palm Beach Post):
“I called Rory. The contract said you cannot play on TGL if you are on LIV. I told Rory I was joining LIV so that meant I was no longer playing TGL.”
Hatton further admired the TGL league by mentioning how fun it would be to play in it:
“TGL seems like it will be a fun league to play in.”
Like all other LIV golfers who made the switch, Hatton also had to face the wrath of the golf community and it wasn’t easy for him to make the decision.
Tyrrell Hatton Explained How Difficult It Was For Him To Switch Tours
Recently, Tyrrell Hatton also shared how challenging it was to choose between staying on the PGA Tour or transitioning to the LIV league. At one point, he even wished that someone else could have decided for him.
Hatton said (via BBC):
“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.”
Deciding for Tyrrell Hatton was indeed challenging because leaving the PGA Tour would impact his rankings on the OWGR and possibly result in him missing out on playing in the Ryder Cup in the future.
Hatton has previously competed in the Ryder Cup three times, and he has been on the winning team twice. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old golfer eventually joined the LIV league after signing a deal for reportedly £50m for its third season. By the end of the conversation, the golfer mentioned that now he was happy with his switch:
“But so far I’m happy and ultimately that’s the most important thing.”
It’s worth mentioning that even though LIV golfers are currently ineligible to play in the TGL league, a potential merger between the tours might open up opportunities for players like Tyrrell Hatton to join the league in the future. This is considerable given that the first season of TGL is scheduled to take place in January 2025.
