TYRELL HATTON was warned for smashing a tee box on his way to winning the Dubai Desert Classic.

McIlroy praised Hatton for not “giving a flying fig what anyone else thinks” about his temper tantrums.

Hatton, 33, let his frustration get the better of him as he smashed a tee box in the third round.

Officials spoke to the Ryder Cup star about his behaviour on the seventh hole, before he went on to card a four-under-par 68 for a 12-under total.

Hatton admitted it was a frustration afternoon and suggested he needed to be more patient with his game.

He told BBC Sport: “Yes, I probably shouldn’t have done it. Does it make me a bad person? No. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It happened. I can’t go back and change it so just move on.

“I am happy with how I played the back nine with and I could easily have been a few shots better with the putts that I missed. But I am in a good position going into the final round.

“Tomorrow is another round of golf and I should have enough experience to just go out and play. I am in a great position to give myself a chance of winning the tournament.

“Hopefully I can be more patient when I need to be.”

Hatton kept his cool after the tee box incident, even when it looked like the par three seventh would try his patience again, as his tee shot threatened to spin back into the lake guarding the green. But it stopped a foot shot of the water, and he was able to salvage par.

After that his only show of aggression came when he punched the air in delight after sinking a five-footer for par at the last – giving the LIV star two wins, a second and a sixth-place finish in his last four DP World Tour outings.

McIlroy, who had won this event for the past two years, said Hatton is a worthy successor.

He commented: “What I admire about Tyrrell is that he does things his own way. He doesn’t give a flying fig for what anyone else thinks, which is a really good attitude to have. And he’s a great finisher. Yeah, he’s got balls.”

A final round 66 hoisted McIlroy to 12 under and a share of fourth, three shots behind Hatton. It was his 12th successive top ten finish here, but he never looked like making up the seven stroke deficit he faced at the start of play.

He added: “I just left myself too much to do. I burned the edges with a lot of putts over the first three days, so it was nice to see a few drop today. I felt like my game got a bit sharper each day, which bodes well for the coming weeks.”

Hatton’s form gives him an irresistible case for a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance in September, even if his LIV commitments prevent him from finishing as one of Europe’s six automatic qualifiers.

He said: “This week and the four Majors are huge for me in terms of qualifying for the Ryder Cup, so it feels great to tick one off. And this is one of the titles you would like to have on your C.V. It’s such an iconic event.

“To add my name to the list of the amazing champions before me – Tiger, Seve, Rory and the rest – is a dream come true. It’s brilliant to have my name on that trophy.

“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous on the back nine. I guess I just wanted it a bit too much, and I was a bit scruffy down the last, leaving myself that five footer for par. To see that putt go in felt amazing. Just so happy to win.”