Course architecture critic Tyrrell Hatton is back — in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship — and this time, he may have a point.
Hatton took to the tee box of the 18th hole on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates Friday, just one off the lead. The 611-yard par-5 normally plays as one of the easier holes to par, but on Friday it was the opposite. It was the rare three-shotter that played over par.
The 18th plays straight out at some fairway bunkers that loom 295 yards in the distance and features a creek that snakes through the fairway, splitting it in two. The wide part of the fairway before the creek — from the tee box they were playing from, at least — was about 300 yards away. And from the sound of the broadcast, Hatton hit a good one.
“Perfectomungo,” said one of the broadcasters. “Absolutely ideal.”
The other followed with, “A long way out there, too. Will certainly be able to reach.”
Ominous declaration there!
Hatton’s tee ball traveled 296 yards, cut off the bunkers and found the center of the fairway. From there, he’d have 282 yards uphill into a slightly crossing headwind, with the hole cut deep in the green. In a vacuum, Hatton is pulling 3-wood and trying to mash his ball hole-high, but this was no vacuum. Between the wind in his face, a slight downhill lie and the forced carry over the snaking creek, any strike with a 3-wood wasn’t going to be worth the gain. When he realized it, he did as he normally does. He spoke his mind.
“Absolutely tragic,” Hatton said to his caddie, loud enough for broadcast mics to hear. “I despise everything about this hole. Truly awful golf hole.”
After a bit of direction from his caddie, Hatton lamented having to play a 9-iron for his second shot into a par-5 after hitting a great drive.
It’s not clear what short iron Hatton played from the fairway — or if there’s anything extra about the hole he despises — but he made a smooth lay-up swing and didn’t even bother watching it come down in the fairway right of the creek. His second shot went 146 yards, leaving him 138 in, which he played exactly to the number, just nine feet left of the hole. He would two-putt for par.
This is far from the first time we’ve heard Hatton moan about course setup or a specific hole. But in this specific instance, he has pretty sturdy ground to stand on. Consider the fact that in Thursday’s first round, Hatton also hit a 296-yard drive into the same fairway. But on Thursday he didn’t have the same result, because the hole had been set up from a completely different tee box — one about 30 yards farther back — making the second shot even longer and not worth the hassle. Hatton played a longer iron into the same right fairway and made another par. Even if he had to lay up, doing so with a 6-iron feels more like championship golf, doesn’t it?
Golf fans are free to wonder: is there anything wrong with a true three-shot hole? Is it wrong to want a par-5 to sometimes play to a score near five? The answer is no! It’s completely fine to want that. But context is important. The 18th at the Earth Course, as it has been set up this week, really favors a select few people, and one of them was playing with Hatton Friday.
Hatton’s playing partner was Rory McIlroy, who actually trailed Hatton by one stroke until this point. But McIlroy’s drive skidded out and sliced a bit, bringing the water hazard into play. From the tee, McIlroy thought he had reached the hazard. Really, he had hit it 306 yards and set up a perfect 3-wood into the green. He hit a smooth cut that landed just short of the hole, setting up an easy two-putt birdie and a 36-hole tie with Hatton. The McIlroy approach is one only a handful of players can access — he also went for the green in 2 on Thursday when it played longer — and clearly Hatton isn’t one of them.
The final devil’s advocate argument to be made against Hatton is Hey, why don’t you hit is as far as Rory McIlroy! And while Hatton definitely doesn’t have a long game to match McIlroy’s, he’s no slouch. He’s about five yards longer than the PGA Tour average and is above average in driving accuracy. In short, he’s a very solid player off the tee, and just wants to be rewarded with an opportunity to go for the green when he’s hit a good one. Although there’s nothing in the Rules of Golf that commands course setups to offer eagle putts, it’s absolutely a staple of modern pro golf. It’s just not happening this week at this course, and it could prove to be the difference between he and McIlroy over the weekend.
Ironically, if Hatton has anyone he wants to blame for the makeup of the hole and the creek cutting through the middle of the fairway, it’s the course architect. That man is LIV Golf commissioner, Greg Norman.