Hatton finishes T3, his career-best major result – and guarantees return trip to next year’s Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. – An eagle hole-out from 131 yards. Four consecutive birdies on the back nine. Some engraved crystal for his trophy case. His best-result ever at Augusta National – and, for that matter, in any major. And a guaranteed invite to the 2027 Masters when he’ll be a first-time dad.

All in all, Sunday’s final round was a very productive day for Tyrrell Hatton, who continues to show signs that a major title is getting closer to his grasp.

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The Legion XIII star shot his second 6-under 66 of the week to finish at 10 under and a tie for third, two shots behind winner Rory McIlroy. It’s his second top-10 finish in his last three Masters starts – and his career-best finish in any of his 43 major starts, bettering his tie for fourth at last year’s U.S. Open.

“Happy with the round that I put together in the end,” Hatton said. “… Happy that I’ve kind of guaranteed a spot here for next year.”

Indeed he did, since top 12 and ties at the Masters receive an automatic invite to next year. It’s the same exemption he earned for last year’s Masters after finishing tied for 9th in 2024.

But for the longest time Sunday, there was the slightest chance of a green jacket, or at least a playoff for one. Hatton finished well ahead of the final groups, and he sat as the clubhouse leader for nearly 90 minutes until Scottie Scheffler finished at 11 under.

Still, Hatton was thrilled to make some back-nine noise to ensure his return for 2027. He started slowly with a bogey at the 10th, but birdied the par-5 13th, par-4 14th, par-5 15th and par-3 16th to zoom into contention. He also made a couple of clutch-saving par putts at 11 and 17 to keep his spot on the leaderboard.

Foremost on his mind was returning next year as a dad, watching his daughter wear a miniature Masters caddie jumpsuit.

“To be honest, most of the back nine I just wanted to make birdies because my wife is due in six weeks and I was thinking about it would be cool to come back next year and our little girl will be pretty much 11 months,” Hatton said.

“It would be amazing to see her in a boiler suit. Obviously, you see all the other dads and their families and the little ones in boiler suits is so cute.

“I wanted to experience that. Definitely a motivation for me to try and make some birdies and happy I managed to do that. It was cool.”

Even before his back-nine flurry, Hatton ignited the patrons by holing out with his second shot at the par-4 seventh. He followed his eagle with a birdie at the par-5 eighth.

Each eagle made at the Masters comes with an award – a pair of engraved crystal glasses. It’s Hatton’s third career eagle at Augusta National.

Hatton will also receive an additional award for shooting the day’s low score (with Keegan Bradley and Gary Woodland) – an engraved crystal vase.

“The first thing is I shouted ‘crystal’ – obviously happy to make eagle,” Hatton said. “That’s a huge bonus in the round and helped me get a little bit of momentum.”

In looking back at the week, Hatton will fondly remember not only Sunday’s 66 but also his second-round 66 in which he hit all 18 greens in regulation, just the third player in the last 30 years to achieve that feat.

If he’s playing the what-if game, though, he could then look at the other two rounds – an opening 2-over 74 and a third-round even-par 72, the latter coming on a day in which the field scoring average was 70.630, lowest ever for the third round at any Masters.

“I actually played really good yesterday; just didn't hole a putt,” Hatton said. “Unfortunately for me throughout the years here, that's generally been a thing. I've just not holed that many putts. I seem to struggle with the speed, whether that be you go from one extreme where you get a street-fast putt and then you get the other way where it's uphill and they can be unbelievably slow.

“It's hard to judge. That's probably the next step for me round here, would be to just have four really good days on the greens. I feel like there was a lot of good stuff with my long game in the end, and although the scores on Thursday and Saturday maybe didn't show it, there was a lot of good shots.

“As I said, Thursday afternoon played really tough. I played well on Saturday. Just didn't hole putts. So, I'm happy with my score Friday and Sunday. It's taken me to double digits now in rounds in the 60s I think. It was nice to shoot two good scores.”

It was definitely nice to be in the mix again at a major. That’s two top-5s in his last three major starts; he also finished top-20 in the Masters and Open Championship last year.

Early in his career, Hatton produced five top-10s in a stretch of 14 major starts before suffering a four-year lull from 2020-23. Now with more experience and a better feel for Augusta National, the future looks brighter than ever.

“My major record would have been pretty abysmal up to that point, if I'm honest,” Hatton said. “I try not to treat them any differently. Still go out there every day and every round, every shot and try the best I can.

“Obviously, that's all I can do. Maybe I would need to find a way of preparing a little bit better, whether that be more putting or something throughout the early part of the week just to get a bit more ready.”

PLAYER RECAPS: ROUND 4

TYRRELL HATTON, LEGION XIII

Rd. 4 score: 6-under 66 (10-under total)
Round 4: Tyrrell Hatton produced a sensational final round, firing a 6-under 66 to surge up the leaderboard. His round was highlighted by a stunning hole-out eagle on the seventh hole, along with six birdies and two bogeys in an aggressive and clutch performance.

Hatton finished tied for third, just two shots behind winner Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters for the second consecutive year.

Hatton also qualified for the 2027 Masters. The top 12 finishers and ties earn an automatic invite to year.

DUSTIN JOHNSON, 4ACES GC

Rd. 4 score: 3-under 69

Round 4: Dustin Johnson closed out his week with his best round of the tournament, firing a bogey-free 3-under 69. He stayed in control throughout the round, showcasing sharp ball-striking and a clean card, an especially impressive way to finish. Johnson finished T33.

JON RAHM, LEGION XIII

Rd. 4 score: 4-under 68 (1-over total)

Round 4: Jon Rahm delivered his best performance of the week in the final round, firing a 4-under 68 to climb the leaderboard. After making just six birdies across his first three rounds, Rahm found another gear on Sunday, pouring in seven birdies while offsetting them with three bogeys. He finished the tournament at 1 over and tied for 38th.

"Definitely some things I'm going change going forward," Rahm said. "Preparation-wise and what to do. But it's hard to say how much I learned because I don't think we ever seen a Masters this firm and I don't know how long tease going to be until we do again. Both off the tee and on the greens."

SERGIO GARCIA, FIREBALLS GC

Rd. 4 score: 3-over 75 (8-over total)

Round 4: Sergio Garcia faced an unusual challenge early in his final round, breaking his driver after an errant tee shot on the second hole. Forced to play the remainder of the round without it, Garcia battled through, carding five bogeys and two birdies on his way to a 3-over 75. He finished the tournament at 8 over and solo 52nd.

"If you don't hit good shots, you're not going to score well here," Garcia said. "It's very simple."

CHARL SCHWARTZEL, SOUTHERN GUARDS GC

Rd. 4 score: 3-over 75 (12-over total)

Round 4: Charl Schwartzel endured a difficult start to his final round, slipping to 4 over through his first four holes. He regrouped impressively from there, settling into a better rhythm and picking up three birdies over the remainder of his round to limit the damage to a 3-over 75. Schwartzel finished the tournament at 12 over and solo 54th.

Despite the challenging week, he continues to show consistency at the Masters, making the cut for the seventh time in his last eight appearances.

"Yeah, look, a lot of the good was really good, but unfortunately I hit two balls in no man's land and cost me double bogeys," Schwartzel said. "I actually played much better today, but that start, 4 over after four holes, doesn't really set the tone very well for the day."

Top image: Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII gestures to the crowd after his shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the 2026 Masters. (Photo by Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf)