Tyrrell Hatton vents on Masters hole that ‘lives rent-free in my head’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tyrrell Hatton was requested about his birdie putt on 14. However in that second, he had one other gap on his thoughts. The one up forward.

“I used to be attempting not to consider 15 till I received there. That gap lives rent-free in my head. I hate it. I completely hate it,” stated Hatton, talking to the media after his Sunday 69 within the ultimate spherical of the Masters. “And I feel it hates me with the scores that I find yourself producing on it. Once more, I’ve performed that gap in 4 over this week.”

Hatton truly hasn’t performed Augusta Nationwide’s par-5 fifteenth gap that badly through the years, regardless of his struggles this previous week.

In his earlier seven Masters appearances (24 rounds), he’s performed it to a scoring common of 4.88. He’d made no eagles and 10 birdies to go along with three bogeys and two doubles there.

This 12 months, it wasn’t as nice. He performed the fifteenth in 4 over, making his new scoring common on it 5.04 — and over par on any par-5 is just not one thing professional golfers are normally pleased with.

The fifteenth even tormented Hatton in a number of other ways this week. Within the first spherical, he chunked a wedge into the water. Double bogey. Within the second spherical, he laid up too near the pond, had an ungainly chip that landed 15 ft away on the perimeter after which wanted three putts from there. Bogey. On Saturday he scrapped laying up, hit his second shot properly over the inexperienced and it rolled into the pond in entrance of the sixteenth tee. Bogey.

Sunday didn’t begin significantly better. Hatton pulled his tee shot left into the timber and instantly dropped his driver. However he was in a position to punch out, wedge on and two-putt, though he was irritated he left his method above the outlet, leaving one of many “quickest putts I’ve ever had in my life.”

Together with his par on 15 on Sunday, Hatton continued the most effective rounds of the day, and he was 5 underneath and not using a bogey with two holes to play. However bogeys on 17 and 18 led to a three-under 69, getting him in at three over for the week.

The brilliant facet? He tied for ninth, which means he will get an invitation again right here subsequent 12 months. Afterward, Hatton poked enjoyable at what was simply his second Augusta spherical within the 60s.

“I’ve doubled my tally now for rounds within the 60s,” he stated. “I don’t suppose there’s one other golf course on the planet that I’ll play 25 instances and solely shoot within the 60s twice. It’s a very laborious golf course, one which I’ve at all times actually struggled on.”

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of many sport’s most-read information and repair web sites. He spends most of his days writing, enhancing, planning and questioning if he’ll ever break 80. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF.com in 2015, he labored at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State College in Mankato, Minn., he resides within the Twin Cities together with his spouse and two youngsters. You possibly can attain him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.