Tyrrell Hatton still has a fantastic chance of ending his first year on LIV Golf on a real high, with Legion XIII in the final of the team championship in Dallas after an emphatic win over HyFlyers on Saturday.
Legion XIII were dealt a big blow ahead of the semi-final of LIV Golf Dallas, with Jon Rahm ruled out due to illness. With that, John Catlin came in for the Spaniard. Catlin would prove to be the only member of Legion XIII to lose his match.
Tyrrell Hatton thrashed Andy Ogletree, winning seven of the final 10 holes in their match. But perhaps the most impressive result came when Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent beat Phil Mickelson and Brendan Steele in the foursomes.
Mickelson and Steele had been impressive on Friday to beat Mito Pereira and Carlos Ortiz. And neither Surratt and Vincent had had impressive years, with the latter being relegated. However, they went on to win 4&3 against HyFlyers to ensure that they wrapped up their final spot before Catlin was beaten in a play-off by Cameron Tringale.
Tyrrell Hatton suggests why LIV Golf is better for youngsters than the PGA Tour
It will give the pair real confidence ahead of the final where the format changes to strokeplay with every score counting. And speaking in his press conference after the semi-final, Hatton was asked about how LIV Golf may be more beneficial to a younger player than the traditional tours.
“I would say it’s probably a nicer environment in the sense that you can maybe lean on other guys that are more experienced, whereas if you’re a young lad playing on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour and you don’t know many guys out there, then it can feel more – I’d say it would feel more lonely and you’re kind of figuring it out a little bit more yourself. In this environment, you’re a team, so asking questions and things like that is absolutely fine and kind of part of learning,” he said.
“I guess Caleb had looked to Jon more so with Jon’s experience of winning more tournaments and things like that. Yeah, I’d say that it’s a pretty good environment to learn how to play professional golf.”
What LIV can perhaps do to help youngsters further
LIV has plenty of problems that it will need to address in the coming years if it is going to genuinely develop to an elite level. But you can definitely understand Hatton’s point about being a youngster on LIV, with almost every player involved in a team from the moment they join.
It must be daunting for some younger players on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, particularly if they are unsure whether they are going to be able to keep their card. The sense of relief when a surprise name wins an event and can have some security over their schedule is often clear to see.
LIV arguably needs to create a better system if they are going to have more youngsters coming through, gaining the skills to take spots from some of the older players coming towards the end of their careers.
Perhaps a two-tiered LIV league will be required in the years to come where players like Surratt can play under the Legion XIII banner. Not only would it present bright prospects with the chance to win more often, but it would also open the door for LIV to have a much bigger pool of talent that they can utilise when players like Phil Mickelson do step aside.
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