“I don’t need to change”: Tyrrell Hatton reacts to Rory McIlroy saying he “doesn’t give a flying fig”

Tyrrell Hatton won the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. During the post-round press conference, the British golfer was asked for his reaction to Rory McIlroy saying Hatton 'doesn't give a flying fig.'

The 33-year-old golfer did not understand this initially and asked for some clarity, to which the journalist replied and revealed Rory had told him not to change his approach to the game.

"Rory says don't change. Well, he obviously knows me well enough by now to know what I'm like and the type of person I am, and yeah, I mean, a lot of people don't like how I'll be on the golf course," Hatton said via ASAP Sports.

However, he also acknowledged that some people might enjoy watching him, but it is up to the people to decide.

Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship 2024 - Day Two - Source: Getty

"Some people might enjoy watching it. But that's up to those people to decide, the people that know me as a person and what I kind of stand for. I think I'm a pretty honest person. Yeah, that's for other people to have their opinions. But I'm just being me. Yeah, I guess I agree with Rory that I don't need to change," the British golfer said.

Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy share a good camaraderie despite Hatton joining LIV Golf last year. The two golfers have been part of the European Ryder Cup team and were paired together at the DP World Tour Championship in November.

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A look at Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy's scores at 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Tyrrell Hatton won the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic as he carded -15 for the event. He won the event by a stroke ahead of Daniel Hillier, who finished the event at -14.

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, had a decent outing as he finished T4 for the event, thanks to his 66 on the final day. However, due to his poor performance in the first two rounds, he couldn't be in contention to win the event.

Tyrrell Hatton with the DP World Tour Golf Championship trophy - Source: Getty

Here's the leaderboard for the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic (Top 30).

• 1. Tyrrell Hatton -15
• 2. Daniel Hillier -14
• 3. Laurie Canter -13
• T4. Rory McIlroy -12
• T4. Niklas Norgaard -12
• T6. Tom McKibbin -11
• T6. Shaun Norris -11
• T8. Guido Migliozzi -10
• T8. David Micheluzzi -10
• T10. Ryan Fox -9
• T10. Dylan Frittelli -9
• T10. Patrick Reed -9
• T10. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen -9
• T14. Rasmus Højgaard -8
• T14. Ricardo Gouveia -8
• 16. Ewen Ferguson -7
• T17. Calum Hill -6
• T17. Robert MacIntyre -6
• T17. Min Woo Lee -6
• T17. Jordan Gumberg -6
• T21. Jason Scrivener -5
• T21. Jayden Schaper -5
• T21. Julien Guerrier -5
• T21. Keita Nakajima -5
• T21. Tommy Fleetwood -5
• T21. Jacques Kruyswijk -5
• T27. Alexander Björk -4
• T27. Matthew Jordan -4
• T27. Joost Luiten -4
• T27. Connor Syme -4