Tyrrell Hatton joins Tommy Fleetwood in the British Masters field

Tyrrell Hatton will join his Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood at Hillside next month after confirming he will tee it up in in the Betfred British Masters from May 9-12

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Tyrrell Hatton - European Tour Image

European Tour, 20 April 2019: Tyrrell Hatton will join his Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood at Hillside next month after confirming he will tee it up in in the Betfred British Masters from May 9-12.

Like tournament host Fleetwood, Hatton rose through the ranks on the European Challenge Tour, earning his card in 2013, two years after his compatriot, and their careers have shared some notable similarities since, with both players winning multiple European Tour titles.

Both players won a Rolex Series event in 2017 – Fleetwood in the Open de France and Hatton in the Italian Open – and Hatton rose to a career-high 13th on the Official World Golf Ranking in 2018, with Fleetwood breaking into the top ten.

Hatton last played the British Masters in 2017 at Close House, finishing eighth – one place better than his result at The Grove the year before.

“The British Masters is a tournament I have always enjoyed playing in, and I’m really looking forward to joining Tommy at Hillside next month,” said Hatton. “It’s a course with great pedigree, and Tommy will be a great host.

“I’ve won in Scotland a couple of times now, so it would be nice to get another European Tour win in England to add to those.”

Hatton has three victories on the European Tour since 2016, including winning and successful defending the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2016 and 2017, and securing his first Rolex Series title at the Italian Open in 2017.

He has enjoyed a solid start to the 2019 season, including finishing in a share of 19th place at the WGC-Mexico Championship and reaching the round of 16 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, losing to eventual runner-up Matt Kuchar in the first knockout stage. The 27 year old Englishman is now looking forward to playing in front of his home fans again next month.

“The British Masters is an important event for the British players because it gives us a chance to enjoy some home support,” he said. “Southport is a big golfing area, and I’m looking forward to playing there and hopefully I can do well.”

Fleetwood is following in the footsteps of previous hosts Ian Poulter (2015), Luke Donald (2016), Lee Westwood (2017) and most recently Justin Rose (2018), all of whom played an important part in the tournament’s success following its reintroduction to the European Tour schedule.

Fleetwood grew up in Southport and he is looking forward to welcoming his Ryder Cup teammate Hatton to the area.

“Tyrrell is a top player and it was great having the opportunity to make our Ryder Cup debuts together in the same European side at Le Golf National,” he said.

“He’s been one of the leading English players over the last two years and along with Eddie Pepperell, it’s great to showcase some of the best young British players at the Betfred British Masters.”