As golfers tend to do, Tyrrell Hatton hit a bad shot on the 14th hole on Saturday at the DP World Tour Championship.
It was not a terrible shot, or even a very bad shot. Hatton laid up on the 14th hole, and his 9-iron approach soared long and left of the hole, leaving a 35-foot chip for birdie instead of the easy, makeable birdie putt he expected to follow a straightforward approach from such a reasonable distance.
And because the shot was not what Tyrrell Hatton expected, he reacted accordingly. Hatton yelped a short, quick profanity, then reached his club into the ground — toe-end facing him — and plunged it into the earth. Soon after, the shaft gave way, snapping his 9-iron in half and leaving him with two shards of broken golf club in either hand.
This is not the first time we’ve seen an outburst like this one from Hatton, who is famously one of the most hot-headed players in pro golf. At the Masters two years ago, he publicly berated his putting performance, sharing his wish to “bury” his putter after a lackluster week. Later that same week, he criticized Augusta National more broadly. At the DP World Tour Championship in 2022, he criticized one hole as having the “worst pin position ever.” At the Ryder Cup last fall, he delivered a hilarious — and blunt — assessment of his proclivity for on-course profanity. (“Doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I’m swearing,” he said with a grin. “F— off.”)
But, evidently, Hatton’s club-snap on Saturday in Dubai struck a chord with Sky Sports broadcaster Ewen Murray, who blasted the former Ryder Cup star’s behavior. Yes, as Hatton made his way up the fairway, Murray popped over the microphone and delivered a skewering rebuke of the longtime pro’s on-course demeanor.
“It’s time for a change I’m afraid,” Murray said. “He’s a terrible influence on the next generation. I’m sorry to say it, I’m his biggest supporter as a golfer. We’ve all had our moments, but he’s having too many of them.”
Murray was swift with his analysis — TV tends to have that effect — but no less skewering. It also raised an age-old debate among golf fans: Do pro golfers have an obligation to uphold golf’s ethics?
It’s fair to say that you might not want your little ones repeating Hatton’s behavior on Saturday on the golf course. (If for no reason other than the fact that it would prove an expensive habit.) But is Hatton in the wrong for showing his temper? Or, as some people have certainly argued, does Hatton’s hot-headedness add to his TV appeal?
Consider this: Hatton chipped in for birdie after his club-snap, so it’s not like he was adversely affected by the brief moment of rage.
We know how Murray feels. And we certainly know how Hatton feels.
The question remains: How do you?