Pro picks bizarre (and hilarious) way to punish himself after poor drive at Open
Tyrrell Hatton looks over a shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
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The ups, downs, challenges and (bad) breaks of major championship golf will test even the steeliest of minds. And it also might make some go mad.
English pro Tyrrell Hatton has long been one of golf’s most interesting characters, whether it be for his colorful post-round press conferences or brutal honesty when it comes to his game and course setups, but perhaps even more so for his on-course antics when he loses his cool (which happens often).
Last month, at the Pinehurst U.S Open, Hatton joked he loves major championship golf because the stress and difficulty of it eats at players.
“It sort of brings them to my level, because I just lose my head every week,” he said, smiling. “They can kind of experience what it’s like in my head for a week.”
And the Open Championship and Royal Troon has seemed to successfully get under Hatton’s skin this week. On Thursday, he played well (16 pars) but still complained about the setup for some of the par-5s. On Friday, again playing alongside Rory McIlroy and Max Homa, Hatton started to fume.
He made the turn in even par for the day, but he likely wasn’t happy with a double bogey-bogey stretch on holes 4 and 5, which erased a three-birdie front nine. Then, on 11, he hit it dangerously close to the gorse bush off the right side of the fairway. He hit a provisional that went left of the fairway, but he wouldn’t need it. He found his original ball and took an unplayable. He dropped from 203 yards away, hit it short of the green and got up and down from there for a bogey.
On the 12th hole, after the players teed off — Hatton pumped his down the middle — the TV broadcast caught up with on-course reporter Curt Byrum.
“A little side note here on Tyrrell Hatton,” Byrum said. “He was walking down the fairway; he carried his own golf bag all the way down here. I said, ‘What are you doing? Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ He said, ‘After that tee shot on 11 this is what I deserve.'”
The broadcast team roared in laughter. As for Hatton? He probably didn’t see the humor in it quite yet.
Despite his tee shot in the fairway, he missed the green well right with his approach and made a double-bogey 6. He added another bogey on 13 to move to six over for the tournament, right on the cut line. On 14, Hatton made par, and walked off the green gesturing and bickering.
It’s a constant conversation he has with himself, and his Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, who happened to be in the booth, knows Hatton well.
“It’s amazing how much he does bounce back after losing it,” Donald said. “The next shot he’s back into it.”
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