|
Hatton kept his composure and carded 66 in the
final round with six birdies to stave off a late surge from
Australian Jason Scrivener, who also carded a 66 with a strong
showing on the back nine to move up five places and finish
second.
"It's surreal to be honest," Hatton said after his sixth
European Tour win. "Even knocking the putt in on 18 doesn't seem
like I've won the tournament but it's amazing.
"I've always loved starting my season here in Abu Dhabi and to
now add my name on that trophy with so many great champions
before me is a huge honour.
"It's massive. Ryder Cup points have started again and that's a
huge goal for me this year, to make that team, so I'm absolutely
delighted that I've managed to pick up a load of points this
week."
McIlroy, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round,
recorded four birdies offset by four bogeys on Sunday as he
finished on 13-under overall.
The Northern Irishman had extended his lead after two birdies in
the first three holes but Hatton moved up to top the leaderboard
by two at the turn, which included a 27-foot birdie putt on the
ninth.
Hatton then followed that up with a monster 34-foot putt on the
10th for another birdie and never looked back.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
