Tyrell Hatton quits PGA Tour; signs $63 million deal to join Jon Rahm and LIV Golf
29/01/2024 15:26
Englishman Tyrell Hatton, currently the 16th player in the world, has signed a deal to join LIV Golf.
After months of speculation, Englishman Tyrell Hatton has finally signed a deal.
He will join Jon Rahm's LIV Golf team, Legion XIII, and debut on the Saudi-backed circuit at its season-opening event in Mexico later this week. Hatton's deal with LIV is worth $63 million, according to James Corrigan of The Telegraph.
His signing comes just days after LIV Golf poached Adrian Meronk, who recently finished second to Rory McIlroy at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Hatton also played in that event, finishing in 31st.
Hatton has had a busy month. He maintained negotiations with LIV Golf and crisscrossed the world from Hawaii to Dubai for playing opportunities. Before playing in the United Arab Emirates, Hatton tied for 14th at The Sentry and finished 13th at the Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA Tour.
The 32-year-old remains in the field at this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour season, but the expectation is that he will withdraw and play at Mayakoba in Mexico instead.
That will allow him to reinvigorate his Ryder Cup partnership with Rahm on Legion XIII. Rahm and Hatton went 2-0-0 this past fall, racking up a combined 7.5 points for Team Europe overall. Their camaraderie, passion, and firey demeanor helped give Europe the necessary momentum to triumph over the United States.
And yet, at this past Ryder Cup, the DP World Tour barred LIV Golfers from joining the European team.
With Hatton and Rahm playing for LIV, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald should be concerned about how his team will look at Bethpage Black in 2025. Should the current rules remain in place, Hatton—and other LIV Golf defectors—will receive a ban and fine from the DP World Tour after each LIV event. He would also be unable to fulfill the requirement of playing in a minimum of four DP World Tour events, thus jeopardizing his playing opportunities in 2025.
But Donald believes these rules will change, especially as talks between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Public Investment Fund—LIV Golf's beneficiary—progress towards striking a deal.
Hatton must feel this way, too. He initially received an offer from LIV last month but turned it down because he had concerns about his future in the Ryder Cup and his status in major championships. And yet, Rahm dialed up Hatton and assured him that joining LIV Golf was the right move.
Hatton subsequently received an improved contact.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
