Sixty-eight blows, another two at an innocent tee box and no end of chuntering. Welcome to another day in the life of Tyrrell Hatton. The Englishman will begin day four at the Dubai Desert Classic one shot from the lead, held by Daniel Hillier at 13 under par.
Hatton’s shot to the par-three 7th drifted to 48ft from the pin. His response involved two whacks with his club to a plastic tee marker – the first was tame enough, the second certainly was not – with a hole left as a reminder. A fine will inevitably be forthcoming, with Hatton spoken to by tournament officials after his round.
“Just a bit of frustration,” he said. “Probably shouldn’t have done it. Does it make me a bad person? No. It’s just a spur of the moment thing and it happened. I can’t go back and change it, so [I] move on.
“I was told about it in scoring. I don’t have an issue with what was being said. I’m aware that it’s not the right thing to do but in the heat of the moment when you’re frustrated, you just do things that you probably wish you didn’t do. I’m not going to let it bother me for the rest of the day. If that’s the worst thing I do as a human, then, I mean, it’s not that bad.”
This defence is unconvincing, not to mention melodramatic. Nobody is accusing Hatton of crimes beyond golf. Instead, there must be a realisation that if everyone battered course materials in anger this sport would descend into anarchy. Hatton’s standing means he is an example to youngsters; or he should be. Asked about chasing down Hillier, Hatton said: “Hopefully I can be a little bit more patient out there when I need to be and still maintain that fire, because if I lose that, then I’ll just be boring like everyone else.” Miaow.
The sign smashed by Tyrrell Hatton on the 7th tee during the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Photograph: Ewan Murray/The Observer
Hatton mumped and moaned throughout much of the remainder of his round. At himself, at must be noted, rather than anything or anyone else. He has plenty of previous for intemperate on-course behaviour, which was amplified here by testing conditions. To some, it is perfectly entertaining. Others believe the Ryder Cup player regularly displays a lack of maturity. Laurie Canter, who partnered Hatton here on Saturday, is firmly in the former category.
“He is great to play with,” said Canter. “In between shots he is a really good laugh. He laughs at himself. He is an unbelievable golfer, one of the best Europe has and he seems to get better every year. I love playing golf with him, I think he is great.”
Hillier was in trouble with bogeys at the 13th, 14th and 15th but rebounded well. The New Zealander birdied the last two holes for a 70. Hillier arrived here as the world’s 223rd-ranked player. “It would be life-changing,” he said of potential victory. “Last year was pretty tough, it was a bit of a grind. I was getting pretty frustrated with myself towards the end of the year. I gave myself a little bit of a break and time to reset.”
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Ewen Ferguson slipped to a 74 to trail Hillier by three. Canter is alongside Ryan Fox at minus nine. Rory McIlroy’s 69 means he is seven adrift. “My key tomorrow is if I can get off to a faster start and shoot three or four on the front, then I have a chance,” said the defending champion.
