The Dubai Desert Classic has already provided plenty of drama this week. Not only did we have teegate, in which Patrick Reed reportedly tossed a tee in Rory McIlroy's direction (opens in new tab) after he refused to shake his hand, but we will also see a Monday finish (opens in new tab) after a huge rain delay during the first round of the tournament.
Currently, there is a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard, but it is one particular pairing on Sunday that has caught the eye, with current European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, partnered with the man he replaced, Henrik Stenson (opens in new tab). As well as the two European legends of the game, there is also Tyrrell Hatton, who posted a rather humorous tweet when he found out he was paired with them.
If the @rydercup is mentioned in my group tomorrow morning 👀😬 https://t.co/MN1ABmmyCFJanuary 28, 2023
Hatton, who has four Rolex series titles and two Ryder Cup appearances to his name, managed to scrape into the third and fourth rounds play, with two-under proving the important number to make it into the weekend.
Paired with both Donald (opens in new tab) and Stenson for the third round, the Englishman had the perfect response, as Hatton tweeted "If the @rydercup is mentioned in my group tomorrow morning," with a GIF of him and Homer Simpson walking back into a hedge.
For those unclear as to what the GIF means, it generally used as a reaction to express embarrassment or the desire to disappear from an awkward social situation. Overall, it's pretty much a spot on representation as to what could possibly occur on Sunday...
Donald and Hatton during the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits
Following the tweet, many individuals from the golfing world commented on the GIF, with Ewen Ferguson replying "HILARIOUS" with five laughing emojis, while others simply responded with the one word. Brilliant!
Back in March 2022, Stenson was announced as the European Ryder Cup captain however, after he moved to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series in July, he was subsequently stripped of the captaincy. (opens in new tab) Not long after, Donald was revealed as the new captain (opens in new tab), with Team Europe looking to win back the trophy that they lost in a 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021.
