29 January 2024 , 10:33
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Tyrrell Hatton has performed a dramatic U-turn and signed with LIV Golf in a deal worth £50million after a private phone call with Jon Rahm, it has been claimed.
Hatton becomes the latest member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team to defect after Rahm's £450million move in December. Hatton had long been linked with a move, but is believed to have rejected the first offer from the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway circuit.
The Brit is said to have been concerned about his eligibility for the 2025 Ryder Cup, as he'll most likely be banned and fined by the DP World Tour after he makes his debut with LIV. But the Telegraph reports those fears were allayed after he spoke with Rahm in the last few weeks.
Hatton is set to join Rahm's newly-formed Legion XIII team and is expected to make his debut this week when the season begins in Mayakoba, Mexico. He had originally declared for this week's Pebble Beach Pro/Am, but is now set to withdraw.
The world number 16 becomes the highest-rated British player to defect, joining the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. The Telegraph claims Hatton was concerned about the Ryder Cup and his eligibility for the Major championships before he decided to put pen to paper on a deal which will instantly double his all-time career earnings.
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As it stands, Hatton faces an uncertain road back to golf's four majors, without the prospect of earning any OWGR points for the next year, he could find himself forced to go through qualifying for the US and British Open championships - while he could be frozen out of the Masters entirely.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton apparently spoke over the phone before the Brit decided to defect to LIVHatton's defection comes against the backdrop of tense negotiations between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour, with the two sides aiming to finalise a merger agreement which will see the world's best players play under a new unified banner.
Tour commissioner Jay Monaghan has been in talks with Saudi officials since the framework was agreed last summer, and a deal is reportedly close. Until then, however, Hatton faces the very real possibility of being frozen out of the world rankings and then facing a challenge to qualify for next year's majors, including the Masters.
Rahm, having won at Augusta last year, he is automatically qualified until 2027, meaning his chances of being frozen out remain near-zero.
Losing Hatton will be a major blow to the PGA Tour and his friend Rory McIlroy, who enjoyed playing alongside him at Marco Simone at the Ryder Cup last year. The pressure is on the Tour more than ever to come to an agreement with the PIF as more and more players continue to defect.