Tyrrell Hatton Holds Off Daniel Hillier For Record-Equalling Win

“It feels amazing,” said Hatton. “I said earlier in the week, this is one of the events that you would like to have on your CV. It's such an iconic event for the DP World Tour.

“To add my name to the list of the amazing champions that have been before me, and to have my name on that trophy now, it's a dream come true.

“I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous on the back nine to be honest. I guess I just maybe wanted it a bit too much.

“I knew the position I was in, and a little bit scruffy down the last. But yeah, to see that putt go in felt amazing. Just so happy to win.”

Hatton drew level with a birdie on the second after a fortunate bounce from the left rough saw his tee shot settle on the green before two-putting.

Hillier went back in front with a tap-in birdie at the par-five next after Hatton had been forced to lay up after driving into a bunker.

Hatton leapfrogged his playing partner at the fifth, making a gain from four feet as Hillier bogeyed after a duffed chip, and was not to be knocked off the top of the leaderboard from that point.

The Englishman doubled his advantage on the sixth with a birdie from nine feet, with Hillier spurning a chance from half that distance.

A huge break came Hatton's way when his tee shot came up short at the seventh and rolled towards the water, only to stop in rough inches from the hazard, with the Ryder Cup star getting up-and-down for par.

Both players birdied the long tenth – Hillier leaving an eagle attempt a fraction shy – but the New Zealander then stuck his tee shot close at the 11th, with the subsequent gain halving Hatton's lead to one.

Hatton found rough down the left off the tee at the 12th and pulled his approach into another nasty lie but, although he dropped a shot, Hillier was unable to take advantage as he failed to get up and down.

Both players were unable to take advantage of the long 13th and Hillier did well to save par from a bunker at the 15th as the battle for the title turned into a war of attrition.

The lack of birdies at the top of the leaderboard briefly offered hopes to the likes of Canter, Rory McIlroy, Shaun Norris and Niklas Norgaard.

However, Hatton took a huge stride towards victory with a brilliant wedge approach to the 16th that set up a tap-in birdie.

There was still time for a few jitters on the 18th. Hatton unsurprisingly laid up but a conservative approach to the back of the green in order to take the water out of play left him with a 45-foot birdie effort.

Hillier had gone for the green in two and gone over the back, but made a nine-footer for birdie to leave Hatton a testing five-footer, which he duly converted.

Hillier said: “It's bittersweet, that's for sure. Yeah, I didn't have my best today obviously but I fought hard all day, just barely gave myself a chance down the stretch.

“Hats off to Tyrrell. He was pretty solid down the stretch there. He's class. We will done to him.”

Japan's Keita Nakajima finished the tournament in style with an albatross at the par-five 18th.

McIlroy saved his best for last as a 66 took him to 12 under for the week, with his tied-fourth finish representing his 11th consecutive top-ten in this event, a run stretching back to his victory in 2009.

Credit: DP World Tour