Tyrrell Hatton fired off four straight birdies on the back nine Sunday at Augusta National, securing a tie for third place at the Masters. His primary drive was not victory but earning a return invitation for next year's Par-3 Contest with his family. Hatton finished at 10 under, two shots behind winner Rory McIlroy.
Hatton carded a final-round 66 to reach 10 under, holding the clubhouse lead for about an hour before settling in a four-way tie for third with Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young. This marked his best finish in a major championship during his 10th appearance at the event. He credited improved comfort on certain shots and course knowledge for his strong performance over the last three years. Hatton said, “This is my 10th Masters, so been fortunate to be here a lot and my results the last three years have definitely improved, which is nice.” The top 12 finishers and ties at the Masters earn invitations to the 2027 tournament. Hatton, the only LIV Golf player to qualify, revealed his back-nine birdie run from holes 13-16 was fueled by thoughts of bringing his family to the Par-3 Contest. With his wife due in six weeks, he envisioned his daughter, then about 11 months old, in a boiler suit. “To be honest, most the back nine I just wanted to make birdies because my wife is due in six weeks... It would be amazing to see her in a boiler suit,” Hatton said. “Yeah, I wanted to experience that. Definitely a motivation for me to try and make some birdies and happy I managed to do that. Yeah, it was cool.” Max Homa tied for ninth, also locking in his spot for next year after a strong showing. The final top 12 included Rory McIlroy in first, Scottie Scheffler second, Hatton and three others tied third, Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns tied seventh, Homa and Xander Schauffele tied ninth, Jake Knapp 11th, and six players tied 12th: Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay and Jason Day.
