The Open 2016: Tyrrell Hatton’s spin-offs for his second place in Scotland
Last updated on .From the section Golf
| Venue: Royal Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland Dates: 14 July to 17 July |
| Coverage: Listen live on Radio 5 live, follow live text on the BBC Sport website from Thursday. Highlights on BBC Two and online. Click here for full details |
Tyrrell Hatton finished only runner-up at the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on Sunday - but he still ended up a three-time winner in other respects.
For the fifth time in six years, it earned the Buckinghamshire golfer a place at the Open Championship - no mean feat for a young man who does not turn 25 until October.
Apart from booking a spot at Royal Troon, it earned a place at only his second American major - the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol, New Jersey, at the end of July.
And his Scottish Open payday of 429,468 euros represents the largest of his five-year professional career.
Despite the frustration of seeing so many birdie chances slip away on the back nine to finish a shot behind the victorious Swede Alex Noren, Hatton told BBC Sport: "I'm really happy with that result.
"Earlier on in the year, after the start I had, missing a few chances earlier on, there was a good chance my head would have gone down. But my caddie kept me upbeat and positive.
"Part of me is slightly disappointed in a way, one short," admitted the Marlow-based former Berks, Bucks and Oxon amateur Hatton, who plays at Harleyford. "But I played well. I tried to stay as patient as I can."
Hatton's putt for £150,000
Most pertinently, on a day when he secured his fifth top-10 finish in 13 European Tour events in 2016, Hatton particularly showed his nerve with his birdie putt on the final green.
There was a lot riding on it. The difference between finishing outright second and in a four-way tie for the runners-up spot amounted to about £150,000. He kept his cool from 10 feet.
"That was a huge putt," said Hatton. "I was really happy to see that one drop, and I holed a really good par putt on 17 as well.
"Second outright is my best finish on the European Tour. A spot in The Open, as well as securing the PGA Championship - overall, it's been a really good week."
His main target at Royal Troon, after missing the cut at his four previous Opens, will be making it through to the weekend.
Hatton has a late first-day tee-off time, going out in the penultimate group of the day (16:05 BST) with American Harold Varner III and Swede Oskar Arvidsson.
He is due off at 11:04 BST in Friday's second round.
