Tyrrell Hatton snapped a club in two and cursed loudly after shots at the World Tour Championship in Dubai on Saturday, with his conduct earning the hot-headed English golfer a fine from the European tour and a rebuke by a broadcaster for setting a “terrible" example.
The 18th-ranked Hatton's general unhappiness with his game in Dubai this week boiled over during the third round of the season-ending tournament at the Earth Course.
It started in ignominious fashion when he lazily attempted to tap in from barely a foot for par at the fourth hole — only for the ball to strike the back of the cup and lip out — and finished when he threw his ball toward the water guarding the green at No. 18 after completing his round.
In between those incidents, the most grievous example of Hatton's poor behavior came at No. 14 when he pulled his third shot at the par-5 No. 14 and pressed his iron so hard into the ground that it snapped.
Ewen Murray, a commentator on British broadcaster Sky Sports, reacted by saying: “It’s time for change, I’m afraid. That’s a terrible influence on the next generation.”
Earlier, Hatton angrily took a swipe at a divot after missing the green with his approach to No. 8. And his behavior became more erratic on the 11th when, after missing a five-foot putt for birdie, he slammed his putter down on the green and repeatedly swore in comments picked up on TV.
He was heard cursing again on the 13th after his tee shot settled on the fringe.
After the round, the European tour confirmed Hatton’s behavior breached its code of conduct.
“He will be fined as a result,” the tour said.
Hatton started the third round one shot off the lead and ended it three back from joint leaders Rory McIlroy, Rasmus Hojgaard and Antoine Rozner.
The 33-year-old Hatton, who has won tournaments on both sides of the Atlantic and is a three-time Ryder Cup player, joined the breakaway LIV Golf series early this year but still plays events on the European tour.
He is renowned as one of the most combustible golfers around, often heard chattering away to himself after shots.
On Friday, while playing No. 18 at the Earth Course, Hatton was heard saying: “I despise everything about this hole.”
The course was designed by Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Tyrell Hatton of England hits off the first tee during the first round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Tyrell Hatton of England lines up a putt on the 17th green during the first round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Tyrell Hatton of England reacts after he missed a shot on the 13th green during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Tyrell Hatton of England plays his second shot on the 2nd hole during the second round of World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back Saturday after battles with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported.
The clashes and further Israeli bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, came as Lebanese and Hezbollah officials study a draft proposal presented by the U.S. earlier this week on ending the war.
Israeli troops briefly captured a strategic hill in the southern Lebanese village of Chamaa, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Israeli border, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The agency said Israeli troops blew up the Shrine of Shimon the Prophet in Chamaa as well as several homes, but the claim could not be immediately verified. Israel's military did not immediately respond to requests for comment but said in a statement that its troops “continue their limited, localized and targeted operational activity in southern Lebanon.”
Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, as well as several other areas in southern Lebanon including the port city of Tyre. An airstrike on the northeastern village of Khraibeh killed a couple and their four children, the National News Agency said.
Israel's military said its planes hit multiple sites used by the militant group.
Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and end its barrages in Israel that the militants have said are in solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza. Israel said Hezbollah fired more than 60 projectiles into Israel on Saturday but gave no details.
More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire — 80% of them in the past eight weeks — according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israel has said it wants to ensure that thousands of Israelis can return to their homes near the border with Lebanon.
On Friday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister apparently urged Iran to try and convince Hezbollah to agree to a cease-fire deal with Israel, which would require the group to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. The proposal is based on U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
A copy of the draft proposal presented by the U.S. was handed over this week to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah, according to a Lebanese official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the secret talks, said Berri is expected to give Lebanon’s response on Monday.
Another Lebanese politician said Hezbollah officials had received the draft and would express their opinion to Berri. The politician also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media about the ongoing talks.
Berri told the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the draft does not include any item that allows Israel to act in Lebanon if the deal is violated.
“We will not accept any infringement of our sovereignty,” Berri was quoted as saying.
He added that one item in the draft that Lebanon does not accept is the proposal to form a committee to supervise the agreement that includes members from Western countries. A U.N. peacekeeping force already operates near the border in Lebanon.
Berri said talks are ongoing regarding that and other details, adding that “the atmosphere is positive but all relies on how things will end.”
There is also a push to end the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said Saturday that 35 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, bringing the war's overall death toll to 43,799. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of those killed have been women and children.
The U.N. Security Council’s 10 elected members on Thursday circulated a draft resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire” in Gaza.
The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, holds the key to whether the council adopts the resolution. The four other permanent members — Russia, China, Britain and France — are expected to support it or abstain.
Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Smoke rises from a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Journalists film as smoke rises from a building hit in Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises from a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A Middle East Airlines airplane flies over Dahiyeh as smoke rises from Israeli an airstrike, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Flame and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
An Israeli drone flies over Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A bomb, center, dropped from an Israeli airplane falls towards a building in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
