SUTTON COLDFIELD, England — To the surprise of many spectators, Tyrrell Hatton will play in this week's Betfred British Masters at The Belfry. It's unusual because the three-time European Ryder Cup winner joined the LIV Golf League earlier this year and hasn't played in a regular DP World Tour event since the Hero Dubai Desert in January.
Since then, Hatton, a member of the Legion XIII team, has competed in 12 LIV events, recording five top-10 finishes in addition to his lone win at Nashville in late June. His worst result (25th) came in the most recent event at the Greenbrier earlier this month, and he has earned $10.6 million in individual prize money so far. In team events, the 32-year-old Briton has been more successful. Hatton, along with Jon Rahm, Kieran Vincent and Caleb Surratt, have contributed to four LIV wins so far in 2024.
What on earth is going on anyway, and with the long-running feud between LIV and the DP World Tour, why is Hatton able to play on both sides of that particularly high fence?
The answer is both simple and infinitely complicated. Hatton, who has won six events and earned $24.4 million on the Old World Circuit, remains a member of the DP World Tour and therefore technically eligible to compete in all Old World Circuit events. But every time he competes in a LIV event that overlaps with a DP World Tour tournament, Hatton will be sanctioned under the Wentworth-based circuit's rules and regulations. Those penalties can include fines and suspension from future events.
That's obvious enough. But it's worth repeating the question: How and why is Hatton allowed to play at the Belfry this week? The answer is again found in the DP World Tour rulebook.
“Tyrrell is appealing the sanctions imposed on him for breaching the DP World Tour's competitive tournament rules but remains eligible to play in the Betfred British Masters in accordance with DP World Tour rules,” a tour spokesman said.
This is the same situation that Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and others faced when they challenged similar sanctions imposed on the first group of players who moved from the DP World Tour to LIV in June 2022. Those players were able to continue competing until April 2023, when arbitration body Sport Resolutions UK ruled in favour of the tour and recognised its right to impose disciplinary action against “rebel” players.
In other words, Hatton is not suspended from his home event this week because he is a current member of the DP World Tour and has served all suspensions imposed to date. Additionally, payment of any fines imposed on him will be at least temporarily deferred until the outcome of the appeals process is known, which as of today remains undetermined.
