Tyrrell Hatton made a fast start to his return to DP World Tour action by getting within two strokes of the early lead at the Betfred British Masters.
The Ryder Cup star, who is playing on the DP World Tour after appealing against the sanctions imposed for playing LIV Golf League events without permission, carded an opening-round 69 at The Belfry to stay in touch with pacesetters Paul Waring and Jeong weon Ko.
Hatton was within a shot of the lead until failing to take advantage of an “unreal” shot on his final hole, where a closing bogey saw him visibly frustrated and dropped him into the group on three under.
Tyrrell Hatton mixed five birdies with two bogeys during the opening day at The Belfry
“I’m not going to change at 32,” admitted Hatton, making his first start at a regular DP World Tour event since January. “If I’ve not changed in 10 years, then I don’t think I can change. I’m just reacting to things in the moment.
“There are times when I wish I didn’t say certain words and some things come out that you wish you could take back, but at the end of the day it’s just a reaction. I guess I can’t apologise for being myself. I played some pretty good golf today, missed pretty much every putt I looked at and don’t think I could have scored much worse to be honest.”
Hatton must play in four regular DP World Tour events this season to remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup team
Hatton opened with back-to-back birdies and three-putted for par at the par-five third to miss out on a third successive gain, then dropped a shot at the par-four fifth after finding sand off the tee.
The Englishman missed good birdie opportunities at the sixth and eighth but converted from five feet to take advantage of the driveable 10th hole, with only a cold putter on the back nine preventing Hatton from moving closer to the lead.
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Hatton got up and down from the sand to birdie the par-five 17th but was unable to save par from a similar position at the last, missing from inside four feet following a sensational wedge shot and dropping back to three under.
Asked about the frustration of missing his par putt on the last, Hatton added: “You’d rather hit it out to 20 or 30 feet and two putt. You hit an unreal bunker shot and then miss from three-and-a-half feet, it’s annoying.”
Ko set the early pace after five birdies in a six-hole stretch helped him to an opening-round 67, while Waring made a similar birdie burst around the turn and also got to five under. Thriston Lawrence looked set to make it a three-way tie at the top, but a closing bogey dropped him alongside Jorge Campillo on three under.
Thriston Lawrence won on the Sunshine Tour last week
England’s Jordan Smith, Laurie Canter and Andrew Wilson are part of a large group on three under that contains Hatton, with Germany’s Hurly Long also two back despite playing his first 10 holes in four under.
Guido Migliozzi was within two of the lead until he carded a quadruple-bogey eight on the final hole, dropping him to a one-over 73, while England’s Matt Wallace bogeyed his last three holes to struggle to a four-over 75.
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