‘Absolutely tragic!’ Tyrrell Hatton sounds off at DP World Tour Championship

Back in 2017, after a bogey on the 18th at Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course, Tyrrell Hatton said the par-5 “seems to hate me.”

Fast forward seven years and its clear that relationship is mutual.

The fiery Englishman unloaded on the closing hole at the DP World Tour Championship on Friday, furious that he was being forced to lay up to avoid the water hazards despite a perfect drive.

Hatton, just one shot off the lead heading down the last, was irked with his own game all day and did not pull any punches when it came to the design of the 611-yard 18th.

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“Absolutely tragic. I despise everything about this hole,” he told his caddie Hugo Dobson. “Having to hit nine-iron after hitting a good tee shot shows how bad it is.

Dobson interjected: “Just hit a good line. Right centre.”

But Hatton was not done there.

“I mean it’s just so ridiculous,” he moaned. “Everything about this I despise. Truly awful golf hole.”

"I despise everything about this hole" 😡

Safe to say Tyrrell Hatton isn't a fan of the 18th ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/6Ptuh39kfm

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) November 15, 2024

The irony has not been lost that the designer of the Earth Course is Greg Norman, the LIV Golf commissioner who sanctioned his big-money move to the Saudi-backed breakaway in January.

Hatton went on to miss a 10ft birdie putt to tie Antoine Rozner for the lead at the halfway stage, a cause of further frustration as he signed for a three-under 69.

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The enigma of Hatton, though, is that while he is finely poised to contend in the season-finale in Dubai, he has appeared completely disillusioned with his game over the first two rounds.

“Pretty similar thing to yesterday to be honest in terms of just not feeling very comfortable,” he said afterwards. “Yeah, just every shot felt like a bit of a struggle, “I guess. three-under is a pretty acceptable score, all things considered but naturally you always want to be better.

“Taking the positives from two days where I don’t feel like I’ve played the kind of golf I’m capable of, and we’re one shot off the lead going into the weekend,” he added.

“So yeah, hopefully I can find something and hit it a little bit better. That would make this weekend a little bit more exciting for me, but yeah, I’ll go out there tomorrow and give it my best as I have done the last two days, and just hope something clicks.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.