Tyrell Hatton Struggles On Day One At Carnoustie

Tyrrell Hatton struggles Open Carnoustie

published 19 July 2018

Tyrrell Hatton makes a poor start to his Open Championship at Carnoustie

Hatton Struggles On Day One At Carnoustie

Tyrrell Hatton failed to take advantage of the calm conditions on the opening day of the 147th Open Championship, posting a disappointing three-over 74 at Carnoustie.

Hatton was well fancied to contend this week given his previous form around the famous links, but he faces an uphill task to stay around for the weekend.

The 26-year-old was out of sorts as he dropped shots at the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th, and failed to make a birdie until the notoriously difficult 18th.

Hatton has three wins on the European Tour, which includes back-to-back victories at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a tournament where he's developed a particular liking for Carnoustie.

Related: Open Championship Tee Times

On the eve of the Scottish Open last week, where he finished in a tie for ninth, the Englishman spoke about his mother's battle with cancer and how he felt determined to give his family something to smile about.

Hatton Struggles On Day One At Carnoustie — Hatton can't get his round going at the 147th Open Championship [Getty Images]

Hatton revealed his mother Karen's operation was a success, but, understandably, he did not look at his attacking best, even if his final-hole birdie did give him something to take from the round.

And with the windy conditions set to make scoring more testing for the afternoon groups, his 74 should be recoverable.

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If that's to happen, he'll need to improve on the greens, having taken 34 putts over the course of his opening round.

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The early starters, however, faced slower putting surfaces, something Hatton will be hoping changes overnight for him to force his way back into contention.

However, you wouldn't back against Hatton turning it around, and he was quick to take to Twitter to give his honest assessment of his round.

The Golf Monthly crew are at Carnoustie all week so check out the Golf Monthly website and the social media channels for all the latest news.

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Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.

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