And so it began, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship got things underway for another year on the European Tour, my twenty-sixth year on Tour to be exact.
On a beautifully turned out National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Tyrrell Hatton ran away from a stellar field to win by four shots, to claim his fourth Rolex series title.
Sometimes in sport you get to see a person epitomise confidence, you can see the belief rising up from within and right now the feisty Englishman is precisely that person.
These big wins are starting to stack up pretty quickly: a first PGA Tour win at the Bay Hill Invitational; the Alfred Dunhill Links on two occasions; the BMW PGA Championship; the Turkish Airlines Open, the Italian Open – and in different styles, too.
Not many people chip-in to continue in a play-off, not many hole a 15-foot putt on the 72nd green to win, as he did in Italy, what now seems like an age ago. Then, to hold off Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello at Abu Dhabi with a resolute display of winning from the front – right now Tyrrell has the lot, long game, short game, mental resilience, confidence, and even a newly cultivated image which only does him the world of good, too.
humbled to have received an invite to play this years @OmegaDDC it’s 22 years since my victory, Fun this AM be preparing, fly on the wall view of the Majilis @BurringtonEstat @UKEnterprise @CallawayGolfEU @Eurocams @OJ_Golf @TitleistEurope @Golf_In_Dubai @golfbreaks @clubs2hire https://t.co/U3kVGCUZVC
— David howell (@davidhowell530) January 27, 2021
At Wentworth, en route to victory in the Autumn chill in Surrey, Tyrrell was seen sporting a hoody during the tournament. Tongues were wagging about this attire, yet the majority saw the positives in a more ‘streetwear’ look finding its way onto the traditional fairways. Tyrrell took the media attention in his stride, and beat everyone anyway.
Now, courtesy of the European Tour’s soon to be Oscar-winning media team he was the star of the show in the recent ‘Angry Golfer’ sketch. If you haven’t seen it and want cheering up in these difficult times then take a look, it is laugh-out-loud funny. Laughing at one’s own expense is a beautiful human trait, and one thing we are reminded of often through Tyrrell’s passion is he is most definitely human. Slowly but surely the golfing world is becoming more and more aware of the boy from High Wycombe, and I can only see his popularity growing and growing. There is a normality to everything he does, which is compelling.
The next tantrum might just be around the corner, he could be golf’s very own John McEnroe perhaps, but when it’s all added up, right now he is certainly becoming the man to beat on our Tour.
Once again, we feel fortunate and thankful to be out playing professional golf when the world around us is still struggling so badly from Covid-19. Like many, I thought the Tour would look more normal again by now but, sadly, it is just not the case as yet. Another year of travelling and staying in secure bubbles is ahead of us and soon enough that stress will inevitably build up. Wives and families unable to travel at all, livelihoods on the line, the stress of hoping for another negative Covid test, this is small fry compared to the plight of many, of that there is no doubt, but as sure as ‘eggs is eggs’ sometime soon on your screens you will witness a different breed of Angry Golfer. Not the world’s best players getting frustrated that their latest tilt at glory is going wrong, and that the next seven-figure cheque might be slipping away, but the player who is struggling with his game, who is striding along, wondering what the future holds for him, where his next birdie is going to come from. Or his next four-figure cheque, for that matter.
Professional sport is hard. The glory at the top end is wonderful, from that high perch it’s easy to laugh at oneself, and it’s wonderful that our top players can, and that they frequently do, but at the other end of the scale life can have a very different look to it and laughing at oneself is not so easy.
The frustration can turn to anguish, anger can turn to worry and, in turn, to stress and depression. Thankfully, whist the European Tour is all about hard-nosed professional sport, which is demanding and competitive, as it should be, it does this whilst somehow having a heart, and a core understanding that life on Tour can be tough.
It would be easy to find enough players to fill a real Angry Golfers ‘Help Group,’ it just wouldn’t be fun to watch on social media. So, if I may be so bold, the next time you see a golfer throwing a tantrum on your screens, whilst not ideal, do please remember that under the cover of a sponsored cap might lie a professional sportsman whose anguish and worry has just erupted in an explosion of fury.
They are probably not acting like a child, most likely the opposite, in fact. They’re probably just reacting to the pressures that only adults feel. For me, that’s why it is so compelling to watch the unheralded player win – that life-changing moment that takes all that stress away. Now that’s a beautiful thing.
Enough of the deep stuff. Last month we were back at the home of golf in the Middle East – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. Nowhere in the world can be as busy with golfers than the Emirates Club, and now they have gone a step further and built the most amazing Topgolf range you have ever seen. Think ten pin bowling for golf – it’s a winner for sure. Whether you’re old or young, beginner or expert, it really doesn’t matter. This is golf but not as we know it. So, for all the talk about technology in golf, it could be that a ball with a micro chip in it might be just the thing that will guarantee the next generation of golfers continues to enjoy this most wonderful of sports.
