Tyrrell Hatton looks to be well-placed to potentially secure his third Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title, with the Englishman posting a second round 68 to leave himself just three shots off the lead at the halfway stage.
Tyrrell Hatton was always going to be one of the ones to watch at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with the LIV Golf star winning the event back in 2016 and 2017. You would imagine that he is one of the LIV stars looking to prove a bit of a point with Ryder Cup qualification now underway.
Jon Rahm has already suggested that he has taken advice from Hatton this week, so it is no surprise at all to see the 32-year-old in contention with two rounds at St Andrews ahead for him. Hatton has made just one bogey across his first two rounds. However, it seems that he is not entirely happy with how he has played.
Hatton shot a flawless 65 at Carnoustie on Thursday, while he had to settle for a 68 at Kingsbarns during the second round, with eight pars coming on the back nine. And it appears that he found that most of his issues came on the green.
Tyrrell Hatton frustrated after his second round at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Speaking after his Friday round, Hatton suggested that things did not go his way with the flat stick.
“I guess a little bit frustrated. At times I rode my luck today. Getting some good bounces to avoid some bunkers, but then yeah, I just feel like I missed so many chances at the same time. It was hard to hole putts out there to be honest,” he said.
Why Englishman may now have a big advantage ahead of the weekend
The Dunhill Links is one of the most unique events on the DP World Tour. The first three rounds are played across three different courses before those who made the cut all play St Andrews on Sunday. So it can be extremely difficult to work out how accurate the leaderboard truly is.
Carnoustie can be absolutely brutal when the weather is poor, while Kingsbarns is potentially the most exposed of the three. Hatton was one of those who was fortunate enough to play Carnoustie in much calmer conditions, while he may not be too disappointed with his result from Kingsbarns.
Getting to play St Andrews twice in a row now could be a huge advantage. Amongst the top 10, only himself and Tommy Fleetwood are set to take on the Old Course on both Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, six of the names above the pair on the leaderboard will be at Carnoustie on Saturday.
If Hatton’s putter gets hot over the next two days, it is going to be incredibly difficult to prevent him from winning the event for a third time.
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