"What happened to: LIV players BAD???" - Fans react to Rory McIlroy praising Tyrrell Hatton for the Dubai Desert Classic win

Rory McIlroy praised LIV golfer Tyrrell Hatton after the latter won the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Last week's DP World Tour event featured a stellar field of some top-ranked players, including Hatton, McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Jon Rahm.

Finally, after four rounds, it was the English golfer who won the event by registering a one-stroke win over Daniel Hillier, while McIlroy finished in a tie for fourth place.

Following the tournament, Rory McIlroy praised Hatton and shared his excitement about seeing him playing at the Ryder Cup. The Northern Irish golfer said (via Nuclr Golf):

“He’ll be amazing in New York… He’s proved that over the last three Ryder Cups. He’s a massive asset for the European team.”

Fans jumped to the comment section to take a jibe at McIlroy's comment.

"Whoa!!! What happened to: Liv players BAD???" a fan wrote.

"Haters will say it’s fake," one more fan said.

"Rory has really become an elder statesman," a fan wrote.

Meanwhile, another suggested that LIV golfers should also praise DP World Tour players.

"Would love to hear the LiV guys start praising the PGAT/DPWT Ryder Cup contenders. It’s getting old seeing only DP/PGAT taking the high road all the time. It would be good to hear Brooks and Bryson talk about how important Sheffler and Xander are to the U.S team," another fan added.

Some fans reflected on their excitement for the Ryder Cup.

"Ryder cup in New York this year is gonna be epic," a fan said.

"He’s a fantastic Ryder Cup teammate but by god he better not receive any world ranking points to get him into the majors said Rory," another fan added.

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Rory McIlroy opens up about his performance at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2025

McIlroy kick-started his 2025 campaign on the DP World Tour at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He was impressive with his game. The Northern Irishman had a rough start with two back-to-back rounds of 70 and 71.

But he finally bounced back with 69 in the third round and played a final round of 66, jumping to eighth position on the leaderboard to settle in a tie for fourth place with Niklas Norgaard.

Speaking of his performance, McIlroy said (via ASAP Sports):

"That's pretty cool. Yeah, I probably just left myself a bit too much to do after three days. I had chances, and I was burning the edges. Felt like I putted pretty well without anything going in and then today, didn't really feel like I played that differently the way I played the last few days.

"I just held a couple of putts and made a couple of good up-and-downs when I had to. I feel like I got progressively better as the week went on, which bodes well for obviously the next few weeks," he added.

Meanwhile, Tyrrell Hatton also had a rough start with a round of 71 but improved as the game progressed. He played the next round of 65, followed by the next two rounds of 68 and 69, and settled for a total of 15-under to win the event. Laurie Canter settled in third place.

Notably, Rory McIlroy is currently leading the European Ryder Cup team standings, followed by Rasmus Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton. The top six players in the standings earn automatic qualification for the Ryder Cup team, while the remaining six players are the captain's picks. His victory at the Dubai Desert Classic put Tyrrell Hatton in a good position to auto-qualify for the Ryder Cup.