Tyrrell Hatton is not concerning himself with thoughts about his place in the Official World Golf Ranking as he prepares to defend his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title in October.
The Englishman returns to the site of his first European Tour win next month knowing that another strong week could propel him further up the rankings from his current position of 28th.
Hatton equalled the St Andrews course record during the third round last year and eventually finished four shots clear of Richard Sterne and Ross Fisher. Victory in 2016 moved him from 54th to 33rd in the rankings, but Hatton insists he is more interested in on-course matters than anything else.
"It’s great to see my name up there in the rankings, but my goal is to keep playing the best I can, keep trying to win tournaments and the world rankings will look after themselves," the 25 year old said.
"You want to be in the top 50 in the world and play in the biggest tournaments. For me the next step is to try to win more tournaments."
Hatton joined five other players in tying the Old Course record of 62, including Louis Oosthuizen and Tommy Fleetwood, but conceded he wasn't aware of his significant feat at the time.
"To equal the course record at St Andrews is pretty cool. I was very surprised when I got into the scorers’ hut and they told me. I’d never shot ten-under-par in any round before. And getting the first win is always really important. It proves that when you play to your best you can win.
"It certainly added to the week to equal the course record at such an iconic venue for golf. And it was nice to carry that form into the Sunday with the added pressure of leading.
"It was the first time I had gone into a Sunday leading, so it was a whole new experience for me. I only had one hiccup when I hit a seven-iron into the bunker on the Road Hole, up against the face. I had a five shot lead at the time and I remember thinking I could be here until it gets dark, so I was very relieved to get it out first time, take my medicine and walk off with a bogey and enjoy the walk up the last."
