The Open: Tyrrell Hatton will get his want, R&A makes delicate change

Tyrrell Hatton is rarely one to shrink back from voicing his opinion, regardless of how robust it might be.

So after his 2-over 73 on Thursday, a spherical by which he had 13 pars to start out, Hatton criticized The R&A for its course setup, saying that the group ought to have catered to the southern wind that wreaked havoc on the gamers at Royal Troon all day.

“They didn’t put any tees ahead,” Hatton mentioned.

“You possibly can’t attain any of the par-5s on the entrance 9.”

The sixth gap, the longest in Open Championship historical past, performed as a monstrous 623-yard par-5 on Thursday. It yielded solely 12 birdies, by far the least of the three par-5s, and performed 0.25 strokes above par—the eighth most difficult gap of the day.

Photograph by Jane Barlow/Getty Photos

However on Friday morning, the R&A introduced that it had moved the tees by 20 yards, catering to Hatton’s want.

Forecasters have predicted that the wind will blow even tougher at factors on Friday, with gusts probably reaching 30 miles per hour. Gamers confronted 25-mile-per-hour gusts out of the south on Thursday.

Provided that the sixth gap will play into the southern breeze, gamers would face an much more troublesome par-5 if the tees remained in the identical place. However the R&A shortened the sixth to 603 yards, making it barely simpler on the gamers as they may proceed to battle brutal situations on Friday.

“The situations are troublesome,” Hatton added.

“There’s a number of holes which are simply clearly enjoying actually lengthy. Sadly, that’s the place it’s going in the mean time, the place they appear to attempt to make it longer to make it tougher, which I believe doesn’t make it essentially the most gratifying take a look at.”

Hatton additionally expressed dismay for the sixteenth gap, the one par-5 on the back-nine.

“Was it 15 or 16, the par-5, you’re hitting a 4-iron off it,” Hatton mentioned.

“Inform me a superb par-5 the place you’re hitting 4-iron off the tee. There isn’t one.”

A burn crosses the sixteenth fairway 312 yards from the tee. Because it performed downwind, with the southern wind on the gamers’ backs, many needed to take lower than a driver off the tee to keep away from the penalty space. That pressured Hatton to put up nicely wanting the burn, as he in the end made par there on Thursday. He didn’t have a single birdie throughout his first spherical.

Photograph by Pedro Salado/Getty Photos

He didn’t just like the setup of the demanding par-3 seventeenth, which measured 238 yards, both.

“Regardless that they’ve moved the tee again on 17, which I believe is a disgrace, it’s nonetheless with the wind right this moment. You’re hitting 5-iron and hoping it could actually keep on the inexperienced,” Hatton mentioned.

“Rory [McIlroy] clearly hits it so much greater and additional, and he was hitting 7-iron there. It doesn’t change that it’s a troublesome gap, and it’s nonetheless exhausting to hit that inexperienced. I believe it’s a superb factor that the wind was enjoying down as a result of they most likely would have left the tee on the again if it was into off the left. Then do you need to watch guys hit 3-wood right into a inexperienced that’s exhausting sufficient to hit with 7-iron?”

If Hatton had management of the course setup, he would undoubtedly shorten issues.

Carnage will seemingly ensue with the excessive winds, however a minimum of the R&A catered to one in every of his criticisms on Friday, taking a number of the tooth out of the par-5 sixth. Maybe that can result in extra birdies. Maybe not. Both manner, the R&A listened.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. You’ll want to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.