Tyrrell Hatton moved into the second automatic qualifying spot on the European Points List after victory at the Race to Dubai’s opening Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – the first of four Rolex Series events on the European Tour in 2021.
The 2018 Ryder Cup winner finished four strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, Australia’s Jason Scrivener, on 18 under par to win his fourth Rolex Series title.
Rounds of 65-68-71-66 also saw Hatton tie his fellow 2018 Ryder Cup rookie Jon Rahm’s record of four Rolex Series victories.
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Hatton went toe-to-toe with fellow Ryder Cup stars Rafa Cabrera Bello, Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy, with five-time Ryder Cup player McIlroy finishing the day as his closest competitor of the group some five shots back.
The victory sees the Englishman jump five places on the European Points List into second place with 4,125.87 points, as well as up one place to second on the World Points List with 216.55 points. He also moved to fifth in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Fleetwood maintains his lead on the European Points List with 4,219.32 points after a steady start to his 2021 campaign, finishing in a tie for seventh on ten under par.
There was also a promising start to 2021 for Cabrera Bello, who starred as a rookie at The 2016 Ryder Cup. The Spaniard fired rounds of 67-67-73-69 to finish in solo fourth place and move to 12th on the European Points List – a jump of five places. The strong performance also saw the three-time European Tour winner move to tenth on the World Points List with 75.57 points.
As it stands Fleetwood (4,219.32 points), Hatton (4,125.87 points), Rahm (3,747.50 points) and McIlroy (3,429.44 points) occupy the four qualifying spots on the European Points List.
Meanwhile, Victor Perez (113.79 points) Danny Willett (97.79 points), Matthew Fitzpatrick (91.11 points), Lee Westwood (79.38 points) and Bernd Wiesberger (77.10 points) are currently set to qualify on the World Points List.
The European Tour stays in the Middle East next week for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, where more points will be on offer.
Points will also be available on the World Points List, with the PGA Tour heading to Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open.
