US Open: Tyrrell Hatton makes feelings clear on Oakmont rough

“This course doesn’t just challenge your game, it challenges your sanity,” Bryson DeChambeau told his YouTube subscribers about Oakmont Country Club.

Among many at this week’s US Open, Tyrrell Hatton is already finding that out the hard way.

Jhonattan Vegas called the five-inch thick rough at the notorious Pittsburgh layout “unplayable” on Monday – and it would appear Hatton would agree with that daunting assertion.

The Englishman, still chasing his first major victory, was filmed by his PING sponsors plotting his way around the course – and in particular getting caught up in the devilish rough.

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Hatton, while seeing the funny side of things, was clearly completely bewildered by just how penal the rough actually is if you miss the fairway by just a couple yards.

In one clip, the LIV player is stunned his ball is not plugged and has, in fact, just got buried in the grass.

“That’s unreal,” he said. “I only saw it because I’m stood here. Set up over it, I can’t even see the ball.”

Another clip shows Hatton ballooning a wood into the air from another lie in the rough, much to the hilarity of the 33-year-old and his team following him around.

Should the hot mics be on Hatton on Thursday, let’s just say we might hear a slightly different reaction.

Fairways, are of course, the currency at Oakmont as errant tee shots will be gobbled up by either the gnarly rough or the 168 bunkers which populate the layout.

Lightning fast greens, running around 14.5 on the the Stimpmeter, are no reprieve either.

Hatton’s LIV teammate Jon Rahm was asked about the severity of the rough in Tuesday’s press conference.

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“When it’s this thick, sometimes you get somewhat lucky to where the grass is strong enough to hold the ball and you might be able to have a shot,” Rahm said.

“A lot of the times you won’t. It all depends on the club. Obviously if you’re looking past an 8-iron, it’s always going to be very difficult to move it.

“It’s to a point where you’re trying to get more rollout than carry. It’s very lie dependent.

“There’s going to be times where you get very lucky and have a wayward tee shot and have a near perfect shot, and there’s going to be times when you miss the fairway by a foot and you’re going to have to punch out 20, 50 yards at best.

“At that point, it’s luck of the draw.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered 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.