ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

January 19, 2022

Tyrrell Hatton

Yas Links

Press Conference

NEIL AHERN: It great to welcome back our defending champion here at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Q. Obvious observation at this stage, defending champion to then come back and defend a tournament on a different go, certainly for a tournament of this nature. What are your thoughts on that dynamic?

TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, I remember I had a similar thing with The Italian Open. Obviously didn't fare too well that with that defence and so I'm hoping I can do a better job this time around.

Q. What are the abiding memories of a year ago? It was a big and massively impressive victory?

TYRRELL HATTON: Yeah, obviously that was an amazing way to start the year. Sadly from that moment on it didn't sort of get any better. But yeah, the first few weeks of the year, you don't really know where your game is at. You're kind of just feeling your way back into it really, and so to sort of pick up a victory like that early is good for confidence.

Obviously I was on a great run at that moment in my career. I think fourth win in 20-odd months or something like that. You know, obviously that was great.

But it's a little bit different this week with a brand new course for everyone and that presents a new challenge for in itself.

Q. As you say, an element of frustration, it wasn't the launchpad for 2021 that I think we all probably thought it would be. Have you analysed why that might be and how different are things for 2022?

TYRRELL HATTON: I think it's more down to where I was at mentally to be honest. You know, in 2020, I was working pretty hard in the gym throughout the whole year, in a much better place fitness-wise. More comfortable with my own skin, and I think that just actually allowed me to go play better golf.

You know, certainly the back half of last year, I was doing no training. Wasn't that motivated to practise either. So there's a combination of things. It's not always plain sailing.

So I've tried, I flew out to Orlando on New Year's Eve and sort of tried to do a two-week boot camp of training and practise as well and tried to just get back into it, really. Find the motivation to go and do it.

Training-wise has been good. Still struggle with how to practise and what actually, when I get there is just going through the motions. But that's a work-in-progress for sure.

Q. So is it fair to say you're still struggling in terms of golfing appetite?

TYRRELL HATTON: I'd say so, yeah. I just, I mean, I'm much prefer playing than practising on the range. I've always said that. And I haven't really been out on the course a huge amount when I'm back home. So that's something that I probably need to get back into and try and find some enjoyment and a reason to go out there and do it, too.

Q. Just going back to the lack of motivation, etc., is that linked to a come-down from The Ryder Cup? I know it was your second Ryder Cup appearance, but others have spoken how it's hard to get back up after playing in such a big event.

TYRRELL HATTON: I definitely experienced that in my first one. Maybe not so much the second time around from maybe an experience point of view. But I think just where I was mentally at that stage, as well, it sort of -- it maybe hasn't hit me as hard as it did after the first one.

Q. Just in terms of defending a title is there a lot of kind of luck involved in making a successful defence? You obviously did it at the Dunhill and very nearly won three in a row. Is it just a case of your golf happens to be on -- it needs everything to come together that particular week?

TYRRELL HATTON: To win any tournament, you always need a little bit of luck. I think it would be nice to be defending the tournament at the course that you won it at.

This week is a new course for everyone, so it's hard to kind of know what the rough winning score generally is. I know we've got a lot of wind forecast for Friday and that's going to obviously be a challenging day for everyone. But we'll go out there. We'll give it our best and see what happens.

Q. Touching on your Dunhill record, the links test this week, is that something you enjoy? Obviously different test out there but Kyle Phillips designed the course, I've heard people talking about Kingsbarns. Is that something that might help you this week?

TYRRELL HATTON: I mean, typically I've got a good -- or generally, had a good links record and stuff but if I'm honest, I kind of struggle when we come to different places where they are not generally designed on having or not meant to have links courses, so they never seem to, in my opinion, I don't think they look right.

So you know, you can't enjoy every golf course you play. But that being said, you still have to go out there and hit the shots.

Q. Very honest self-assessment earlier. On the practise side, have you always found it a chore, or is that sort of more of a thing that's come lately?

TYRRELL HATTON: My dad would say, yeah, that I found it a chore. I remember the winters when I was probably like ten years old, and Dad's "Come on, let's go to the range." Don't want to go. Sort of happy being inside or trying to play football all weekend at that stage.

I don't know, some guys obviously really enjoy their practise and they have got a good routine in that sense and they play -- they do games and stuff to try to keep it interesting.

But I've always really struggled with that kind of thing. It doesn't -- I definitely don't switch on to it, so I'm not really that focussed whilst I'm there. It can be a little bit of a waste of time.

And like I said earlier, going through the motions of almost what I do when I warm up before I go and play, just kind of go through every other club in the bag and that's kind of me done on the range. Generally that's how I've been for a long time. But at the moment, it certainly seems harder to get myself to go to the range to go through that process.

Q. But when you're on the course itself, there's no lack of appetite or enthusiasm, no?

TYRRELL HATTON: No, I mean, I'm very competitive person and obviously results haven't been going that well, and that's disappointing.

I think it's when you're up there in the mix and you know, you have that nervous energy, that's what we want to experience every week. Obviously can't achieve it every week but obviously you try your best to do so and I think those are the weeks where it's definitely a lot more enjoyable than struggling your way through.

Q. When you were saying about your dad trying to get you to go to the range when you were younger, did he try and bribe you with anything to get you to go? Would that work now?

TYRRELL HATTON: No. I mean, I can't -- I can't really -- I just remember not really wanting to go, certainly in the winter months. I was quite happy. Maybe I've always been a fair weather golfer.