Dubai: Tyrrell Hatton said he was happy with his year despite wobbling on the final hole of the last event of the season to lose the DP World Tour Championship by a stroke to Matt Fitzpatrick on Sunday.
Hatton bogeyed the 18th while Fitzpatrick birdied the last, to twist fortunes in a dramatic finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course, where the winning score was 17-under.
“Obviously, it’s a bitter pill to swallow,” said Hatton, who ended with a 68. “But it’s been a great week and for me it’s been the best year of my life, so I can’t get too downbeat, these things happen.
“It is what it is and I’m happy with how the week went. I’m sure hopefully in the future, I’ll take my next chance.”
Hatton saved par with a stunning chip out of the bunker on 17 but he was obviously still flustered by the time he teed off from the 18th as he hit it straight into the creek.
“I just leaked a little bit right and paid the price for that, but I’ve got my family here and we’ll go out and celebrate tonight no matter what.”
The 25-year-old Englishman, who turned professional in 2011, came into this tournament fresh from his first European Tour win in 87 appearances at last month’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championships.
And with this second place finish he ends the year fourth in the Race to Dubai money-list after one win, five top five and 11 top 10 finishes in 23 events this season.
“If you’d told me at the start of the year, I would finish fourth in the Race to Dubai, I would have been surprised. It’s been such a great year and I’m very happy with that.
“I’ve played some good golf this year and hopefully I can continue that into next year.
“It’s exciting moving forward, and hopefully there will be many more occasions like this. There’s a few [British] lads that are doing really well at the moment, as well, and I’m sure in the years to come that we’ll be pushing each other forward.”
