Tyrrell Hatton drew the ire of commentators and golf fans once more for displaying perceived poor behaviour at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah on Saturday.
The 33-year-old English golfer has hit the headlines multiple times for his on-course actions even before this weekend, though it occurred once more on Friday he was overheard saying he despised “everything about this hole” when on the 18th.
On Saturday, though, came his moment of petulance which led to Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray labelling him a “terrible influence on the next generation,” as Hatton purposely snapped his iron after hitting a shot he clearly didn’t like.
Seconds after sending a fairway shot on the 14th hole, Hatton spun his club around, forced the face into the grass and snapped it clean in two.
“Oh no, no. It’s time for a change I’m afraid,” Murray immediately reacted on the commentary feed. “That’s a terrible influence on the next generation. I’m sorry to say it, I’m his biggest supporter as a golfer.
“Just have a look at this. Why, why would you do that? We’ve all had our moments but he’s having too many of them.”
Hatton also spurned a close-range putt for par, lipping out from around a foot somehow, while he had also been criticised for leaving divots on the course and hitting his putter into the green, damaging the surface for those playing behind him.
Fans, however, were divided on the matter of his behaviour being a bad example to the next generation of golfers.
One the one hand, some X users agreed to the initial post he was a “disgrace” and “should be fined” or suspended, while others labelled him “childish” and “huge talent but awful behaviour”.
But others suggested he should be able to do “do what he wants” and that he “wins enough” to justify actions.
Nearing the end of his third round he sat in sixth, three shots off leader Rasmus Hojgaard, with Rory McIlroy also in contention.
