AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tyrrell Hatton was asked about his birdie putt on 14. But in that moment, he had another hole on his mind. The one up ahead.
Hatton expressed his attempt to avoid dwelling on the fifteenth hole until he reached it. That particular hole occupies a prominent place in his mind, causing him great frustration. He despises it wholeheartedly. Hatton made these remarks while addressing the media following his impressive score of 69 on Sunday during the final round of the Masters. He also believes that the fifteenth hole holds a grudge against him, evident from the scores he consistently produces on it. Throughout the week, he played the hole four strokes over par.
Hatton has actually performed quite well on Augusta National’s par-5 15th hole throughout the years, despite facing some challenges this past week.
In his last seven Masters appearances (24 rounds), he has maintained a scoring average of 4.88. With no eagles, 10 birdies, three bogeys, and two doubles on that hole.
This year, the experience on the 15th hole was far from enjoyable. Hatton struggled on this particular hole, scoring four over par and resulting in a new average score of 5.04. It is uncommon for professional golfers to be content with being over par on any par-5 hole.
The 15th hole proved to be a source of torment for Hatton throughout the week. During the first round, he made a mistake by chunking a wedge into the water, resulting in a double bogey. In the second round, he played it safe by laying up near the pond, but faced difficulty with an awkward chip that landed 15 feet away on the fringe. He then needed three putts to finish, resulting in a bogey. On Saturday, Hatton decided to change his strategy and avoid laying up. However, his second shot went well over the green and ended up rolling into the pond in front of the 16th tee, leading to another bogey.
Hatton’s Sunday didn’t get off to a great start. He hit his tee shot left into the trees and had to drop his driver immediately. Despite this, he managed to punch out, wedge on, and two-putt. He was a bit frustrated that his approach left him with one of the fastest putts he’s ever had.
After making par on the 15th hole on Sunday, Hatton continued his strong round, remaining five under without a bogey with just two holes left to play. Unfortunately, bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes resulted in a three-under 69, leaving him at three over for the week.
He managed to tie for 9th place, securing an invitation to return next year. Following his second round in the 60s at Augusta, Hatton jokingly remarked on his improved performance.
“I’ve now doubled my count of rounds in the 60s,” he stated. “I doubt I’ll encounter another golf course where I play 25 times and only achieve that twice. Augusta is truly challenging, a course where I’ve historically faced difficulties.”
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