Jon Rahm reveals what Tyrrell Hatton told him to do at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

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Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are certainly flying the flag for LIV Golf after the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with the pair both shooting 65 around Carnoustie on Thursday.

Just two players find themselves in the top 17 after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after starting their tournament at Carnoustie, with those two players being Legion XIII teammates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

Rahm has been in decent form for some time. He clinched victory in LIV Golf‘s individual standings with a win in Chicago, while he was only denied a fourth Spanish Open title in a play-off against Angel Hidalgo last week, so it is little surprise to see him get off to a flyer on Thursday.

But perhaps Hatton’s performance is even less surprising. The Englishman finished in the top five in four of LIV Golf’s last five events of the season. But he is also looking to win the Dunhill Links for the third time, having lifted the trophy back in 2016 and 2017.

What Tyrrell Hatton told Jon Rahm before his opening round at Carnoustie

So it makes sense that Rahm appeared to reach out to his Legion XIII teammate ahead of this week. And following his opening round, the 29-year-old shared the advice Hatton had given him in the build-up to the tournament.

“I lean on the knowledge ever a two-time Dunhill championship champion, Tyrrell Hatton, and I asked him and in the words of Tyrrell, ‘just hit driver over every bunker into the rough, and lob-wedge into the green’,” he said.

“I was like, okay, and that’s basically what I did. Missed it in all the right spots. My first fairway on the front nine was the 17th and I was 3-under, right. It’s a bit of what you can do when it’s not an Open Championship setup. The rough is a little bit lower so you can be aggressive and have short irons into the greens, and that’s what I did today.

“On the front nine it was better off the tee. I found myself in the fairway for the most part and was able to be aggressive.

“You know, I avoided disasters, two holes, on 4 and 5. Made a great par on 4, and lucky on 5 that I hit it bad enough that my ball stayed short enough of the bunker on the fairway. Made two pars but could have been a lot worse. Pivotal moment of the round there, and was able to make sure it wasn’t a mistake.”

Advice which may come back to haunt the Englishman

While players are unlikely to find themselves in better conditions while playing at Carnoustie, what Rahm and Hatton produced on the opening day looks to be seriously impressive. Rory McIlroy meanwhile, finished his day at the same course at three under par.

Carnoustie can be such a brutal test of a player’s game. Francesco Molinari won The Open Championship in 2018 with a score of eight under par. Meanwhile, Paul Lawrie finished on six over par when he lifted the Claret Jug at the same venue 25 years ago.

There is obviously a lot of golf to be played before the trophy is being presented by the 18th green at St Andrews on Sunday, but Hatton has put himself in a brilliant position to secure a third victory in this event.

Perhaps however, giving Rahm advice about how to tackle Carnoustie could come back to haunt him.