One confused moment from Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Spieth showed golf’s postseason at its finest
Tyrrell Hatton's response to his playoff fate earned the attention of the PGA Tour social media team.
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After going bogey-bogey on his final two holes of the BMW Championship, Tyrrell Hatton didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Hatton, the No. 14 player in the world, started the week 26th in the FedEx Cup standings. With the top 30 making it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, Hatton figured his stumble to a 1-over finish left him on the outside looking in.
Then a PGA Tour official approached him as he was leaving the Olympia Fields locker room. The encounter was captured by the PGA Tour’s social media team.
“Tyrrell, I just want to brief you on the FedEx Cup.”
Hatton’s mood never changed.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be there,” he replied, barely hesitating as he continued out the door.
“Well, you should know that you are currently 29th,” the official told Hatton.
Hatton stopped at the door and turned to come back inside. His interest was piqued, but it was clear he still needed some convincing.
The official continued to break down Hatton’s situation, which could change at any moment given the final round of the BMW. Players out on the golf course could move ahead of or behind Hatton, affecting his overall slot on the standings.
“You’re only in by six points, but at 30th is Jordan Spieth and you guys are in the same position on the leaderboard,” the official said. “So whatever points he gains or loses, you will get more points [than him].”
“Right,” Hatton replied, his hope still waning.
Hatton suggested Denny McCarthy was a player who could knock him out.
But when the official finished explaining the different scenarios, he offered an optimistic outlook.
“I think you’re better than 50/50,” he said. “I know you’re not feeling it but…”
Hatton gave an awkward pause before he finally offered an unenthusiastic “OK.”
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Just before the encounter, Hatton interviewed with CBS about his situation.
“I’m pretty devastated with that finish,” he told Amanda Renner. “I need things to go my way to obviously play in Atlanta next week. And that’s hard to deal with. I feel like I’ve played well enough throughout this season to definitely earn a spot there. But it’s hard. I mean quadruple points for two events. Last week was my worst finish, I think, since missing the cut in San Antonio at the end of March…
“To start the playoffs at 17th and to potentially finish outside the top 30 after two struggling weeks is a tough one to take,” Hatton said. “We’ll see how it plays out for the rest of the day, but from my point of view, I’m pretty gutted.”
On the other side of the locker room, though, gutted was far from the adjective of choice. It was there that PGA Tour cameras found Jordan Spieth and caddie Michael Greller in much the same situation as Hatton, but with a decidedly different perspective on the whole ordeal.
Spieth also bogeyed the final two holes Sunday at the BMW, but as the official told Hatton, he was tied with the Englishman and one spot behind in the standings.
In another video posted by the Tour, Greller is seen looking at the projections as an official breaks down the scenarios when Spieth yells over.
“What if I made it?” Spieth asked, referring to his missed par try on the 18th hole. “Just a little better? Not much?”
“Depends on [Adam] Schenk,” Greller inferred from the data.
“But Schenk needs to make two birdies coming in to take away those points [from you],” The official told them. “The thing is, you’re only in by one point right now.”
Then the trio started dissecting what exactly Schenk, who was still on the course, could do to take away points from Spieth by passing him on the leaderboard.
The official explained it wasn’t where Schenk was in the points standings, but how Schenk improving his own position on the leaderboard would also negatively impact Spieth’s, meaning he would earn fewer points.
Ultimately, it wasn’t Schenk who pushed Spieth from his spot, nor any other player. Chris Kirk shot a 71, bumping him out of the top 30 allowing Hatton and Spieth to advance to East Lake.
Judging by Spieth’s mood in the locker room, he must have been relieved. Hatton too, even if it might have taken him some time to believe his eyes.
Ah, the joys (and oddities) of the golf postseason.
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