LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton sounds off on The Open Championship’s round 1 course setup at Royal Troon - “They didn't put any tees forward”
LIV golfer Tyrrell Hatton is not impressed with the course setup of the Royal Troon while competing in the final Major of the year, The Open Championship. The English golfer did not have a smooth start at the Major, shooting a 2-over par 73. He struggled on the course, and later, while talking to the media, the 32-year-old golfer opened up about the harsh conditions.
Tyrrell Hatton expressed his disappointment with the par-5 holes, claiming that the officials did not "put any tee forward." The English golfer revealed that it was hard to reach any of the par-5 holes on the front nine.
Hatton teed off on the first hole of Royal Troon on Thursday, which features two par-5 holes on the front nine and one on the back nine on the 16th. He settled for even par on those holes and made two bogeys on the back nine.
Speaking of the holes at Royal Troon, Tyrrell Hatton said (via Nuclr Golf on X):
“They didn't put any tees forward. You can't reach any of the par-5s on the front nine. Was it 15 or 16, the par-5, you're hitting a 4-iron off it. Tell me a good par-5 where you're hitting 4-iron off the tee. There isn't one."
"Even though they've moved the tee back on 17, which I think is a shame, it's still with the wind today, you're hitting 5-iron and hoping it can stay on the green. Rory obviously hits it a lot higher and further, and he was hitting 7-iron there. It doesn't change the fact that it's a tough hole, and it's still hard to hit that green," he added.
Although the golfer was critical of the course setup, he was happy with the weather conditions, which he said helped his game. He further added:
"I think it's a good thing that the wind was playing down because they probably would have left the tee at the back if it was into off the left. Then do you want to watch guys hit 3-wood into a green that's hard enough to hit with 7-iron?”
Notably, after shooting a round of 73, Tyrrell Hatton tied for 42nd place on the leaderboard. The tournament is scheduled to have its second round on Friday, July 19. There is a cutline after 36 holes, and only the players finishing above the cutline will proceed to the final two rounds over the weekend.
A look into Tyrrell Hatton's performance at The Open Championship 2024 Round 1
Tyrrell Hatton started off on the first tee hole and made only pars on the front nine, with no bogeys or birdies. On the back nine, he again started with a par on the tenth hole and then carded two back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. He struggled to hit a single birdie in the round and scored +2.
English golfer Daniel Brown had a surprising performance in the opening round of The Open Championship. He shot a bogey-free round of 65 to score -6 and top the leaderboard. Just behind him was Shane Lowry, who scored -5 and settled in second place. Justin Thomas was also impressive with his game in the opening round of the Major, scoring 68 to take solo third place.
Notably, Tyrrell Hatton had a good showing in the Majors in 2024. He competed at the Masters earlier this year and tied for the ninth place but then struggled at the PGA Championship. Although he made the cut at the second Major of the year, he ended up in a tie for 63rd place. Hatton finished T26 at the US Open last month.