Tyrrell Hatton Reveals Anger Of WGC-Mexico Slow Play Warning

(Image credit: US PGA TOUR)

published 15 March 2018

The Englishman revealed on this week's Sky Sports Golf Podcast that the incident left him "raging"

Tyrrell Hatton Reveals Anger Of WGC-Mexico Slow Play Warning

Tyrrell Hatton was in a dream scenario on the Sunday of the WGC-Mexico Championship - in the final group of a World Golf Championship event paired with the legendary Phil Mickelson and Indian rising star Shubhankar Sharma.

Although it wasn't all fun and games, as Hatton revealed an incident involving a referee and Phil Mickelson left him "raging".

The Englishman implied on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast that Phil got preferential treatment regarding a slow play warning.

He told the Podcast how both he and Sharma were warned for slow play and Mickelson wasn't, when it was in fact the American who may have been holding things up.

5 Things We Learnt From The WGC-Mexico Championship — Hatton finished in a tie for 3rd and moved up to a career-high 13th in the world after the WGC-Mexico Championship

"Sharma wasn't that slow, to be honest. He was fine," Hatton said.

"But Phil, I feel like, was taking a lot of time. We'd had a warning earlier on in the round to speed up. We kind of did, but not massively. I've just birdied 14 so I'm tied with Phil. You've got four holes left to play, it's sort of crunch time. We've all hit good tee shots on 15 and one of the officials drives over and says, 'Phil, you're exempt, but Tyrrell and Sharma, I'm going to start timing you.'

"Phil goes, 'Well, he obviously likes me.' I was raging. Danny, my player manager, was walking with me. I walked over to him as I got near the ball and said, 'Can you believe what this referee has just done?'

"That's the first time I've been in that situation in a WGC," Hatton continued.

Phil Mickelson wins WGC-Mexico Championship — Mickelson won his 43rd PGA Tour title

"Obviously I've grown up watching golf and Phil has been around a hell of a long time, and I'm trying my best to beat him, but I just found that slightly off-putting.

When I come away from the tournament, it's frustrating that actually happened.'"

Hatton bogeyed the final hole at Chapultepec GC to miss out on the playoff by a single stroke.

Phil Mickelson beat Justin Thomas at the first extra hole to win his 43rd PGA Tour title.

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Tyrrell Hatton

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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