Tyrrell Hatton, the British golfer and recent defector to LIV Golf, rejoicing after qualifying for Europe’s Ryder Cup squad. That led to a memorable evening of partying that pals said turned “aggressive” and “messy.” Following the Dubai Desert Classic in January, a very different kind of celebration erupted. This moment would go down in history as one of the biggest accomplishments for Hatton, who consistently provides electric celebrations following big golf moments.
Hatton’s path to automatic qualification was not an easy road. As a current member of LIV Golf, he had few chances to accrue Ryder Cup points with Ryder Cup payment. He thought he had blown it, closing 1-over on the final round at The Open. A month later, Luke Donald’s call came, officially sealing Hatton’s place on the European Ryder Cup team. That was the news to which Hatton most strongly responded!
“Qualifying for the team automatically was one of my main goals for this year,” – Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton really placed a high premium on this accomplishment. New automatic qualifiers were to be the extension of his consecutive team selection streak, achieved in his last three Ryder Cups. He had only five events, four of which were majors, to earn enough points for automatic qualification.
The night of the celebration itself featured a hodgepodge of drinks, ranging from Disaronno to hazelnut sour cocktails. Hatton joked about how the evening devolved into madness as he encouraged friends to participate in the binge.
“They go down very easily. And then I was starting the chant of basically getting someone to down it, which then every cocktail that followed was a shot. Then we ran out of Disaronno and the guy at the bar made some hazelnut sour, which wasn’t great, and there was a few of them.” – Tyrrell Hatton
As glamorous as the fun sounded, the aftermath was not so fabulous. Hatton later woke up in his own vomit, a gruesome testament to his excess during the celebrations. Looking back on the experience, he confessed that he didn’t ever want to allow himself to reach such a low point ever again.
Hatton has a history of over-celebrating, most notably after the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris. Credit: Phil Scott Now, he’s pledging to be more conservative in future celebrations. You never know, Europe might take their first victory at Bethpage in New York. If that comes to pass, he can’t count out a return of the chaotic scenes.
“I’d like to think that we would celebrate pretty well, and there is a good chance I will be throwing up, but hopefully I’m not falling asleep and I can enjoy most of the night with everyone,” – Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton’s exuberance gets at what it’s like to have milestone celebration euphoria, when the sports gods coincide marvelously with dedication and work. As he prepares for the upcoming Ryder Cup, he balances pride in his accomplishments with lessons learned from past celebrations. The competition he will face at the NCAA tournament will certainly test his game. It’ll make room for new memories—both to be celebrated and to lament their loss.
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