Hatton making major noise again, starts strong at Royal Portrush

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Although the U.S. Open didn’t fall his way last month at Oakmont, Tyrrell Hatton got his first real taste of the pressure-packed environment that comes with contending for a major on the back nine on Sunday.

It was a taste he enjoyed, despite the immediate aftermath of disappointment. It’s a taste he wants to enjoy again this week at The Open at Royal Portrush. Thursday’s first round certainly was a good first step.

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The Legion XIII star shot a 3-under 68 to move into a four-way tie for sixth, just one stroke off the lead going into Friday’s second round. He’s the highest-placed player of any of the 19 LIV Golf members competing this week. And it’s his best position after 18 holes at The Open since 2019 when Royal Portrush last hosted the tournament.

Unlike that week, when Hatton drifted down the leaderboard in the next two rounds before a back-door tie for sixth, the 33-year-old Englishman is determined to remain a contender throughout all four rounds.

“I really enjoyed having a chance to win in Oakmont,” said Hatton about his tie for fourth last month, his best-ever major result. “I know it didn't go my way in the end, but I left that week proud of how I dealt with everything, happy with how I managed myself in the most pressure moments. Yeah, taking confidence from that, and hoping that this week -- even if it's not that week, I'd like to down the line give myself a chance to win another major.

“I've played in enough now. This is my 42nd, and 13th Open. I've played a lot, so it would be nice to give myself some more chances.”

He’s hopeful that a more aggressive putting approach will pay dividends. Although he called Thursday’s round a “frustrating day on the greens,” he actually gained 1.81 strokes on the field with his putting, ranking 20th in that category.

In the first 10 LIV Golf tournaments this season, Hatton has given up 1.19 strokes to the field with his putter.

“One of the things that's been holding me back this year probably is my pace on the greens hasn't been what I'd like it to be,” he explained. “It's kind of barely getting to the hole and leaving a lot of putts short.

“I wanted to go out there today and feel like I was being a bit more aggressive, which sometimes is hard because you don't want to be careless and smash it 6 foot past every time. But I definitely felt that was one of the things I tried to make more of an effort on and really be positive in the putts that I was hitting.”

Meanwhile, he took advantage of all three par 5s, with his birdie at the 12th providing a bounce back from his only bogey on his round. After that, it was a steady string of pars to end what was a long day for all the competitors.

Hatton obviously enjoys Royal Portrush, saying he likes that the course is “pretty much all in front of you. There’s not too many blind shots. Sometimes in links, there’s a lot of blind shots. For the most part here, you don’t really have that.”

Two years ago, Hatton and his golfing buddies played Royal Portrush as part of their annual trip that included three other courses in Northern Ireland. It was a fun trip that week. It could be a productive one this time.

“I like the golf course,” he said. “It’s nice to see it in a more sober state than when I was last here.”