Every team needs an arsehole.
If there was ever any doubt before, Tyrrell Hatton is a must have on the European Ryder Cup team after thriving in a leadership role at the Team Cup.
Yes, he has a short fuse, yes he is a serial ‘F’ bomber on the golf course and yes his tantrums and club slamming border on the ridiculous but he showed that he is capable of finding the right balance and marshalling a rookie.
The Englishman did exactly what was asked of him by Great Britain and Ireland skipper Justin Rose and the onlooking Team Europe captain Luke Donald.
It is very likely that Hatton and Jon Rahm will be handed wildcard picks if they do not accumulate enough points to secure automatic Ryder Cup qualification for September vs USA in Bethpage Black.
Hatton performed admirably last week, securing 3.5 points out of a possible four and his four ball pairing alongside Tom McKibbin is definitely one that has Ryder Cup potential if not for this September then Adare Manor in 2027.
His foursomes partnership with Matt Wallace also had a nice blend of the steady play needed in the format and the explosiveness that can see them pull away over the course of a few holes.
While Rahm had an underwhelming year in the major championships and on the DP World Tour, Hatton has maintained his world ranking of inside the top-20 as well as picking up a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and there shouldn’t be many worries that his form will suffer with another campaign on LIV Golf.
Hatton has been a mainstay of the European Ryder Cup team since his debut in 2018 and went unbeaten as Europe won in Rome in 2023 and looks a firm member of the core of that side alongside Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Rahm. All of whom will need to be on form if Europe are to arrest a run of humbling away defeats in 2016 and 2021.
The 33-year-old only has five regular DP World Tour events in which to impress Donald and rack up enough points to secure automatic qualification. But, given his prowess in the Rolex Events, an automatic place can’t be ruled out.
“Yeah, by now, I guess Luke knows what I’m capable of or the type of golf that I can produce,” Hatton said after the Team Cup.
“Yeah, my job is harder to automatically qualify for the team but I have five events to do that. So yeah, I’m going to give it my best. And my last three Ryder Cups, I’ve managed to automatically qualify, and I’d love to keep that streak going.”
Also given his world ranking will come the exemptions into the major championships, that combined with some impressive performances on LIV Golf should secure his passage to Bethpage Black one way or another.
The same can’t be said for McKibbin.
IF and this is an if, his highly expected move to LIV Golf to join Rahm and Hatton at Legion XIII goes through then the 22-year-old can’t expect the same treatment.
Not only does his world ranking make it difficult to secure the major championship appearances required to earn enough points and impress Donald but the Team Cup showed that there are plenty of potential rookie options ready to step up.
McKibbin was omitted from rookie praise from Donald after the Team Cup. Maybe it was an honest mistake or maybe it was a signal to the Holywood man to think very carefully before he officially puts pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Saudi backed tour.
While the Team Cup has a friendly exhibition feel to it and the one sided nature of the latest contest brings into question the benefit of it to Team Europe ahead of the Ryder Cup, there were players who are definitely in Donald’s eyeline which will make it difficult for McKibbin should he move to LIV.
However, there is no doubt that McKibbin impressed and was arguably the standout rookie for GB&I, digging Hatton out when he needed to, proving a good foil for Aaron Rai and also a gutsy partner for Matthew Jordan.
The 2023 edition paid dividends for Europe and showed that there is a clear pathway to the team given seven of the players who played two years ago were also part of the European team in Rome.
Rai looks best placed of the Great Britain and Ireland cohort to be a rookie at Bethpage Black.
The Englishman has been a steady developer over the last few years and is now a PGA Tour winner and on the cusp of the top-20 in the world rankings.
“He’s 22 in the world right now,” Donald said of Rai. “He’s proved that he’s just getting better and better each year, every time he plays.”
Matthieu Pavon was very impressive for what was otherwise a shambolic Continental Europe side and proved that his last eighteen months has been no fluke, winning on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour in that span.
Then there’s Matt Wallace. Another fiery character who has often let his emotions get the better of him. He looked like a player who could be worth having as an option with that explosiveness that is always an asset in Ryder Cups. Whether that is a good blend for the toxic atmosphere of an away contest is doubtful however.
McKibbin is undoubtedly a Ryder Cup contender but the fear is his move to LIV Golf will take him out of Donald’s spotlight and allow the likes of Rai, Pavon, Wallace and Rasmus Hojgaard to steal a march on him.
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