Why is Tyrrell Hatton playing outside LIV this week? His plan is not a secret

Think back seven months, to the end of January. Seven months a day, actually. January 30, 2024 – the day Tyrrell Hatton officially joined LIV Golf.

It was a poorly kept secret at the time, but the details of his departure were still puzzling. Hatton had played in Hawaii, then raced in Dubai. That's the PGA Tour on the DP World Tour. How had he decided that LIV was next? The truth is, he wasn't entirely sure about everything. And he knew he would have to explain himself to a certain group of people: the Ryder Cup team discussion.

“I think when I sent the message in the team chat, in the Ryder Cup chat to tell the guys that I was leaving, I was nervous when I sent the message,” Hatton said at the Masters this spring. That was his first tournament against his PGA and DP World Tour friends.

Shocked by the answer, maybe. But he's also nervous because joining LIV Golf is a public admission that he's willing to give up his place in the next Ryder Cup. And the Ryder Cup is obviously a big deal for Hatton.

This England player has played three cups and he knows that the road to the fourth will be difficult as he has not played in the qualifiers for the whole year. That's why he's competing in this week's Betfred British Masters – held at the long-standing Ryder Cup, the Belfry in central England. For Hatton to play in next year's cup, he needs to be a member of the DP World Tour in 2025, and to be a member of the DP World Tour in 2025, he must play at least four tour events here in 2024. That's the minimum. Suddenly, flying across the world to play the Dubai Desert Classic in January sounds like a good decision. Get this membership drive going right.

“[The Ryder Cup is] It's definitely one of the reasons I want to play this week,” Hatton said on Wednesday. “The Ryder Cup is very important to me and I would love to be in that team next year, and this is a good week to try and get off to a good start.”

Simply put, this week marks the first week that Ryder Cup qualifying points are awarded. Ryder Cup Europe is running a new team qualification system for next year, and while there aren't as many points available – just 1,500 compared to 5,000 for the 2025 majors – Hatton is on course to earn as many as possible. He built a two-shot lead through 36 holes.

Hatton could get off to a good start in the playoffs, which could help if he struggles to get playoff games in his schedule next season. The Ryder Cup Europe produces the most points among the major tournaments, followed by the PGA Tour Signature Events. Of those, Hatton is currently locked out of one start, the 2025 Masters, due to his T9 finish in April. He is not eligible for the PGA Championship, the US Open, or the Open Championship – which greatly reduces his chances. (Or you want him to go the qualifying route to the majors.) That makes his Ryder Cup situation very different from that of his teammate Jon Rahm, who will be playing in every major tournament.

It was big news when Rahm left LIV Golf a few months before Hatton, and almost as big news when Rory McIlroy responded to that decision by saying the eligibility criteria should be rewritten to ensure Rahm is there, facing the Americans. at Bethpage Black. But just this week, captain Luke Donald said his team won't be giving any special treatment to Rahm or Hatton. The minimum of four events is going nowhere. Donald is happy that Hatton is getting the message.

“There are rules and regulations for players, whether it's on the LIV or the DP World Tour, and I'm glad Tyrrell is meeting his,” Donald told the BBC. “I know you plan to play some more events in the next few months.”

The program set Hatton up well there. His LIV Golf season will end in September, when he will have clear opportunities to play the French Open, Dunhill Links, Andalucia Masters, etc. And if he plays well this weekend, he could move into DP. The World Tour is home to two tournaments that end the season in November. We'll worry about the November events when they arrive, though. Hatton has a big August weekend ahead of him first.