Tyrrell Hatton proved this week that he can still win while his Legion XIII team proved it can survive a birdiefest.
Hatton romped to victory Sunday at LIV Golf Nashville, shooting a final-round 65, good for a six-shot win over Sam Horsfield of Majesticks GC.
The six-shot margin is the second largest in LIV Golf history, while his 19-under total is the second lowest score recorded in three seasons on the upstart tour.
“Having not won for 3-1/2 years, you wonder if you’d be able to do it again in some way,” said Hatton, who last won in 2021 in Abu Dhabi on the European tour. “It’s a pretty special feeling to win again.”
Jon Rahm, the Legion XIII captain, had no doubt about Hatton’s ability upon recruiting him to LIV Golf as his top running mate on his new expansion team.
“For all those out there who don’t know how good Tyrrell Hatton is, this is sure proof,” said Rahm, who finished T3. “I think today just shows how good he can be. Obviously, it’s never easy to win, and to win by six in three rounds is quite impressive.”
The hottest player on the course, Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, shot a 9-under 62 but was too far back to start the day, eventually tying for third.
“A three-shot lead isn’t the easiest thing to go out and play with because you know guys are going to be trying to chase you,” said Hatton, whose par save on the 13th hole was the final key moment. “I got off to a nice start and that settled me down.”
The team battle was a bit more competitive, even though Legion XIII broke out to a 10-stroke advantage in the early stages. At one point, their lead was whittled to inside four strokes, which with all scores counting, can disappear fast.
But with all four Legion players shooting under par, they never really opened the door for any chasers. The closest competition was for the other two podium spots, with Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC taking second while Niemann’s Torque edged out Majesticks GC for third.
Legion’s previous two victories came at Mayakoba (at 24 under) and Miami (22 under), two of the more challenging courses on the LIV tour. The Grove course, with its wide open fairways, was gettable this week, leaving Rahm to wonder if his club could win such a race. They did with a total of 40 under, the second-lowest winning score of the season. It’s the third win for Legion XIII this season and it moves them within nine points of the league-leading Crushers in the season-long standings.
“I didn’t think this was particularly a golf course setup suited for our team,” Rahm said. ‘Not that we can’t but … those birdiefest-type events have not been our thing. Of course, after I say that, we wind up with a win.”
It helps when you have the individual winner scorching the field.
Material from the LIV Golf Media was used to compile this report.
