What Tyrrell Hatton’s win in Dubai means for his Ryder Cup prospects at Bethpage Black

Tyrrell Hatton emerged victorious at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and is now in the driver’s seat to securing a Ryder Cup nod.

Since Tyrrell Hatton will tee it up on the LIV Golf circuit again this year, his opportunities for securing Ryder Cup points are few and far between.

European players cannot secure points at LIV events, but they obviously can on the DP World Tour, which facilitates Team Europe. That explains why Hatton committed to playing DP World Tour events this past Fall and to this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He needed to play well to earn points for his Ryder Cup bid.

And that he has.

Dating back to August, Hatton has teed it up in six DP World Tour events, racking up five top 10s and finishing no worse than 18th. He also recorded a pair of wins at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.

Hatton began his final round in Dubai one stroke behind Daniel Hillier and then shot a 3-under 69 to leapfrog the New Zealander to win by one. His six-footer on the 18th green proved to be the difference.

“This is such an iconic event,” Hatton said after the win.

“Like I said, growing up, watching this event and playing in it, and now to win it is amazing. Yeah, I’m just very happy that I’ve handled myself in a good way and was able to get over the line.”

With the win, Hatton moves to first in the European Team rankings. The full breakdown for making the European Ryder Cup follows below:

• Major Championships: 5,000 points available
• 2025 PGA Tour Signature Events, The Players Championship, FedEx Cup Playoffs: 3,000 points available
• DP World Tour Rolex Series: 2,000 points available
• PGA Tour Regular Events: 2,000 points available
• DP World Tour ‘Global Series’ Events: 1,000 points available
• 2025 PGA Tour Alternate Events: 1,000 points available

Given that the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is a Rolex Series Event, 2,000 points were up for grabs this week. But now Hatton must rely on the major championships to solidify his bid for making his fourth straight Ryder Cup team.

“This event and the four majors this year are massive for me to try and earn as many points as I can to try and be an automatic qualifier,” Hatton said Sunday.

“This is a big step in the right direction.”

Hatton’s win also launches him into the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), automatically placing him into the four majors. Unlike many of his fellow LIV players, he will not have to worry about securing a spot in these fields.

“It’s no secret that I really want to be on that team. I’ve automatically qualified for the previous three Ryder Cups, and I’d love to be able to keep that streak going,” Hatton added.

“Yes, it’s a lot harder for me now but winning the Dunhill and winning here this week, with this being a Rolex Series Event and more points available, puts me in a good position, but I still need to go play really well in the majors. I still need to play well when I’m playing in the LIV events. That’s what I’m going to try and do.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.