Despite being grouped with European Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood at this week’s Dubai Desert Classic, Tyrrell Hatton may have expected some awkwardness in the opening round.
Earlier in the week, McIlroy had sent a surprising and pointed message to Hatton and fellow LIV pro Jon Rahm during his pre-tournament press conference.
But according to Hatton, the primary topic of discussion between him and McIlroy on Thursday was Hatton’s indulgent offseason, which resulted in an impressive weight gain that left McIlroy “horrified.”
Here’s what you need to know.
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The most notable feature of the European team’s 2025 Ryder Cup victory (beyond the fan abuse they faced) was their ability to play as a team. On the course and in press conferences, the star European players repeatedly proved they cared for one another and had each other’s backs.
That’s why it was especially surprising when McIlroy went after two of his teammates in his press conference at the Dubai Desert Classic this week.
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The topic that drew McIlroy’s reaction was annual fines charged to LIV pros by the DP World Tour for playing on the upstart league. The fines, which reach into the millions, were previously paid by LIV. But starting this year, the players will have to pay the fines themselves. If they don’t pay up, they risk losing DP World Tour membership and surrendering their chance to play Ryder Cups.
When asked if his teammates should have to pay the fines to continue playing the Ryder Cup, McIlroy argued they should, using their own criticism of the U.S. Ryder Cup team to make his point.
“Look, this is my opinion. We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There’s two guys that can prove it. Great,” McIlroy said on Wednesday.
Given the personal nature of McIlroy’s message, which could only be directed at Hatton and Rahm, some wondered whether the two players would display some frostiness on the course.
But Hatton revealed another topic dominated their discussions: Hatton’s offseason celebrations.
Tyrrell Hatton jokes about offseason weight gain: ‘I was turning like the Titanic’
“We didn’t really talk about that,” Hatton said after the first round, referring to McIlroy’s comments about the DP World Tour fines. “It was me mainly asking him if he’d had any good wine over Christmas, to be honest. It was better than the wine I was drinking, but my wine was very nice too.”
Then Hatton revealed something that truly did disgust McIlroy,
“He was horrified to hear what weight I was on January 1,” Hatton said. “I was 204 pounds, which at 5-foot-8 is aggressive.”
He went on to explain that he “enjoyed” December with “zero cardio and a lot of drinking,” aided by “a Guinness tap in the house.” The result of all that fun? A 14-pound weight gain.
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“Before the Ryder Cup, I was like, 190 [pounds]. So, I put on one stone [14 pounds]. Yeah, I enjoyed my December,” Hatton joked. “I did do some training. Zero cardio, and a lot of drinking. I had a Guinness tap in the house, which was enjoyable. And, yeah, it’s now time to lose a bit of weight.”
Hatton’s self-deprecating stand-up routine continued.
“I was turning like the Titanic. I still feel pretty stiff. The backswing isn’t too much of a problem. When I did start again I felt like my backswing was shorter than Jon [Rahm’s], which is not ideal!”
Eventually, the jokes stopped and Hatton addressed McIlroy’s comments directly.
“Yeah, I mean, I ended up seeing what was said. That’s his opinion, so everyone’s allowed an opinion, and I’ve got nothing more to add to that,” Hatton said diplomatically. “I guess something will get sorted, hopefully something soon. I think everyone’s pretty keen for that to happen. So, yeah, we’ll see what happens.”
Hatton’s play on the course may have influenced his measured reaction. Hatton bested McIlroy by three strokes in Round 1, 70 to 73. He backed it up with a 69 on Friday to reach five under at the halfway point of the Dubai Desert Classic. McIlroy also shot a 69 in Round 2 and will start the weekend at two under.
