Tyrrell Hatton will join forces with Ryder Cup team-mate Jon Rahm in the LIV Golf League after becoming the latest high-profile name to join the Saudi-backed circuit.
The 32-year-old – who is ranked 16th in the world and a past winner on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – will be part of Rahm’s ‘Legion XIII’ side for the 2024 season, beginning in Mexico on Friday.
Rahm and Hatton formed a formidable partnership at the Ryder Cup in Rome last September, winning both their foursomes matches together and finishing unbeaten during the week as Team Europe regained the trophy with a 16.5-11.5 victory over the United States.
Rahm and Hatton have played in the last three Ryder Cups, making their debuts in 2018 before featuring in the 2021 contest at Whistling Straits
The Englishman becomes the latest player to switch to LIV and is its first big-name capture since Rahm, the reigning Masters champion who signed what was understood to be a deal worth up to £450m at the start of December.
Sky Sports News reported last month that Hatton was his Rahm’s No 1 target to recruit for his team, with the Spaniard getting his man after he joined for a rumoured fee of $60 million. Both have retained his DP World Tour membership for now, making them – as things stand – still eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup in New York.
The recent moves come amid the ongoing talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) on the ‘framework agreement’ aimed at striking a peace deal in golf, with the discussions having been extended beyond an initial end-of-December deadline,
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After Rahm’s move to LIV Golf was confirmed, we take a look back at some of his remarks about the rival tour over the past year
Hatton started the year with back-to-back top-15 finishes on the PGA Tour before claiming a share of 31st at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, with the three-time Ryder Cup player initially scheduled to appear at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week before announcing his switch to the LIV Golf League.
Rahm and Hatton will be joined in their team by Kieran Vincent – who came through the LIV Golf Promotions event in December – and American Caleb Surratt, who was part of Team USA’s winning Walker Cup team last year, with 13 teams now part of an expanded LIV Golf League for the forthcoming season.
More to follow…
