Credit: Getty Images.

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Tyrrell Hatton’s hopes of victory at the Abu Dhabi Championship were extinguished by a magnificent final round 67 from eventual winner Jon Rahm on Sunday.

Both players were looking to wrap up a first tour victory since announcing their departure from LIV Golf, with both keen to land the DP World Tour trophy.

Hatton, from Marlow, won the last of his LIV Tour golf titles in the summer when he claimed the LIV Golf Andalucia crown just a month after becoming a new dad.

Hatton played well on the final day, carding a final round 68 after making four birdies and 14 pars. But he couldn’t put sustained pressure on Rahm who managed six birdies and dropped just one shot over the final 18 holes.

Rahm finished on 23-under par for the tournament with Hatton two shots back on 21-under and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy third on 19-under par.

Rahm had finished at the very bottom of the leaderboard at the recent BMW PGA Championships in Wentworth and said afterwards it was very pleasing to go from ‘last to first’.

Hatton carried the chase into the back nine on Sunday but wasn’t quite able to close the gap on the leader.

He briefly moved to within one shot of Rahm on the 15th but then watched on as the Spaniard matched his birdie moments later with a three-foot putt.

He had one further chance to increase the pressure on Rahm heading into the final holes, but his 24-foot birdie putt on 17 came up inches short and Rahm wasn’t troubled on the final hole.

Hatton confirmed last month he was leaving the now defunct LIV Golf tour. Hatton, who joined the breakaway tour in 2024, made a brief statement on his Instagram account which confirmed his decision to leave.

"Wanted to confirm I will not be part of a LIV 2.0," he wrote.

"A big thank you to everyone for their continued support. I am excited for what the next chapter of my career holds."