Tyrrell Hatton, Augusta National might be friends after all (maybe)

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tyrrell Hatton might be running out of reasons to despise Augusta National Golf Club.

Maybe.

Three years ago, Hatton said the setup is “unfair at times” and doesn’t reward good shots. Last year, he said the par-5 15th lives “rent-free” in his head.

“I hate it,” he said. “I absolutely hate it.”

This year? Maybe Hatton and the Masters course can get along after all.

Hatton opened the Masters with a three-under 69, making four birdies and just one bogey in a Thursday round that vaulted him near the top of the leaderboard. Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler hold the early clubhouse lead at four under.

So, Tyrrell, are you actually starting to like this course?

“Do I like any golf course?” he said, smiling. “It’s just so hard. It’s like, you love being here and it’s very special, but at any moment you can just hit a shot and it just does your head in.”

Hatton was in a chippier mood on Thursday, despite a late bogey on 17 that turned out to be the only blemish on his scorecard. But he had good reason to be — he’s finally playing well here.

News

That wasn’t always the case.

In his first-ever Masters round, he shot 80. The next day? Seventy-eight. It took him 16 rounds to record a sub-70 number — a 68 in the final round in 2021 — but that was followed by eight more mostly frustrating rounds the next two years, which included a back-to-back 79 and 80.

On Sunday of last year, in his 28th round here, he shot 69 — just the second time he’s recorded a round in the 60s at the Masters. Now, after Thursday, he’s done it twice in a row.

What gives?

“I always felt like from watching this event as a kid and seeing guys on TV that hit the best shots, there’s always balls falling in from slopes, and I think my first few years here I was just almost hitting where the slopes were rather than naturally I kind of see the pin and want to aim at that,” he said. “Of course you have to be a little bit cautious sometimes, but I feel like I’m fairly aggressive. Maybe last year I did a better job at just trying to not be so negative at times and play away and try and hit certain slopes and just go more at pins, and that sort of fed fairly well for me.”

Hatton put a new driver in the bag (a Ping G440 Max, which has a fade bias he likes) and hit 11 of 14 fairways. He made birdies on 1, 3 and 8. He added another on 12 and didn’t make his first bogey until the 17th, when he missed the green, chipped on and missed a short par save. He muttered to himself in disgust.

Although Hatton still hasn’t figured out his woes on the 15th. Historically, it’s the third-easiest hole on the course, playing to a stroke average of 4.779. Hatton’s career scoring average on it is 5.04 with three double bogeys. He’s played Augusta National’s three other par-5s 30 under for his career, but he’s one over on the 15th.

On Thursday, he drove it into the trees right, laid up, hit his approach to 13 feet and two-putted for par.

“The wedge shot is so hard. I think over the years as well that green has got firmer and firmer. I really wish they hadn’t lengthened it,” Hatton said. “… Jordan [Spieth], I think he hit 5-iron in today, which OK, he’s hitting an iron, but he’s landed it short of the pin on the green and if it goes two yards further it’s off the back. He’s hit an amazing shot, but it’s just holding the green to the front pin. When you move that pin over on the left, it’s going to be near impossible to hold the green because if we don’t have any rain, it’s going to keep getting firmer.”

Hatton’s coming off his best-career Masters finish, having secured a T9 last year that allowed him to get invited back this season. He didn’t have much success in the other three majors last year and has been average so far this year on LIV. He was T6 to start the season but has finished between 19th and 33rd in his last four starts.

Usually he’s making headlines this week for things other than his play at Augusta, like for his on-course antics or fiery personality that’s made him popular among fans. Now, he’s opened the Masters with the best first-round score of his career.

But no, he’s still not ready to say he likes this place. At least, not yet.