Tyrrell Hatton balances in the grip of a club during the second round of the DP World Championship on Friday.
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Course architecture critic Tyrrell Hatton is back – in Dubai at PD World Tournament Championship – and this time, he might have a point.
Hatton walked to the tee box of the 18th hole on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Friday, just one off the lead. The 611-yard par-5 usually plays as one of the easiest holes to par, but on Friday it was the opposite. It was the rare three-hitter he played long par.
The 18th plays straight into several fairway bunkers that appear 295 yards into the distance and features a creek that winds its way across the fairway, bisecting it. The wide stretch of fairway in front of the stream—at least from the box where they were playing—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.”
Another followed with: “Long way there too. He will surely be able to achieve.”
Ominous statement there!
Hatton’s putt traveled 296 yards, clipped the bunkers and found the center of the fairway. From there, he would have 282 yards uphill into a slightly passing headwind, with the hole cut deep into the green. In a vacuum, Hatton is pulling the 3-wood and trying to grind his ball up to the high hole, but this was no vacuum. Between the wind in his face, an easy downhill lie and the forced carry over the winding creek, any 3-wood shot wouldn’t be worth the payoff. When he realized, he did as he usually does. He spoke his mind.
“Absolutely tragic,” Hatton told his caddy, loud enough for the broadcast microphones to hear. “I despise everything about this hole. Really terrible hole of golf.”
After some guidance from his caddy, Hatton lamented having to play a 9-iron for his second shot on a par-5 after hitting a great drive.
It’s not clear what short iron Hatton played off the fairway — or if there’s anything extra on the hole that he despises — but he made a smooth swing and didn’t even bother to watch it roll down the creek fairway. His second shot went 146 yards, leaving him 138 inches, which he played exactly on par, just nine feet from the hole. He will two-stroke for par.
This is far from the first time we’ve heard Hatton complain about the course setup or a specific hole. But in this specific case, he has pretty solid ground to stand on. Consider the fact that in the first round on Thursday, Hatton also hit a drive 296 yards on the same fairway. But on Thursday he didn’t have the same result, because the hole was set up from a completely different typical box – one about 30 yards away – making the second shot even longer and not worth the hassle. Hatton played a longer iron down the same fairway and made another par. Even if he had to stretch, doing so with a 6-iron feels more like championship golf, doesn’t it?
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Golf fans are free to ask: is there anything wrong with a true three-putt hole? Is it wrong to want a par-5 to ever play close to five? The answer is no! It’s perfectly fine to love it. But context is important. The 18th on the dirt course, as set this week, really favors a select few, and one of them was playing Hatton Friday.
Hatton’s partner was Rory McIlroywho actually trailed Hatton by one stroke to this point. But McIlroy’s car slipped and split a bit, bringing the water hazard into play. From the tee, McIlroy thought he had reached the hazard. Indeed, he had hit it 306 yards and putt a perfect 3-wood on the green. He hit a smooth chip that landed just short of the hole, setting up an easy two-shot birdie and a 36-hole tie with Hatton. McIlroy’s approach is one that only a handful of players can access – he also went for Thursday in 2 when he played longer – and Hatton is clearly not one of them.
The final devil’s advocate argument to be made against Hatton is Hey, why not hit it’s up to Rory McIlroy! And while Hatton definitely doesn’t have a long game to match McIlroy’s, he’s no slouch. It is about five yards longer than the PGA Tour average and is above average in driving accuracy. In short, he’s a very strong player off the tee, and just wants to be rewarded with an opportunity to get to the green when he hits a good one. Although there is nothing in the Rules of Golf that mandates the configuration of courses to offer eagle putts, it is absolutely a staple of modern professional golf. It’s just not happening this week at this course, and it could prove to be the difference between him and McIlroy over the weekend.
Ironically, if Hatton has anyone to blame for the layout of the hole and the creek running down the middle of the fairway, it’s the course architect. That man is LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman.
