HATTON GRINDS IT OUT TO WIN AT BRUTAL BAY HILL
TYRRELL HATTON survived a brutal final day at Bay hill to win for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
he held off the challenge from Australian Marc Leishmann to win by one shot on four-under par despite a last-round 74.
And what an event to land your first victory, at Arnie’s place and on a course that had the feel of a major set-up.
Outside a handful of days at the four majors, it is hard to remember a weekend quite so gruelling as the one that unfolded here.
In the vacation capital of the world, where people go to relax and walk round with big smiles on their faces, there was precious little of that at Arnie’s place.
The rather large alligator that emerged from the water at the par-four third and decided to enjoy an afternoon siesta beside the green proved the least of the problems. This was golf played in survival mode, but no less compelling for that, as the elite field were asked questions by a devilish wind, punitive rough and tarmac-hard greens that proved beyond the vast majority.
Befitting a man holding a 54-hole lead for the first time on the PGA Tour, hatton began a little nervously, with two bogeys in his first five holes.
Would that fragile temperament make an unwelcome appearance and suffocate his bid? not a bit of it. Over the next four holes, he played golf of the highest quality, topped off by two iron shots to the seventh and eighth to set up birdies that took him out in level par to preserve his two- shot advantage. The nearest challenger to the 28-year- old from
Marlow was South Korean Im Sung-jae. Yes, the man who took on another englishman in Tommy Fleetwood last week and beat him to the honda Classic title.
even this pair could not keep the spills away. At the 11th hatton drove in the water for a double bogey to lose his lead, before Im did the same at the 13th.
It presented former winner Leishman with an opportunity, and the wily Australian seized with a birdie at the 12th it to move into contention down the stretch. Bogeys for Im and Leishman at the 14th left hatton with a twoshot lead going into the dangerfilled last four holes, in search of his first victory in America. he parred the last for holes for an impressive victory, especially considering it was his second tournament back after 11 weeks out following wrist surgery.
Rory McIlroy’s challenge began promisingly with a birdie and three pars in his four holes to be tied for the lead, before he betrayed his own blueprint. ‘Keep the big numbers away and take advantage of the par fives,’ he told himself.
At the par-five sixth, he went into the water with his third shot and ran up a seven. At the ninth he drove out of bounds for another big number and an outward half of 40 strokes. A threeputt bogey at the 12th, and his race was run.
At five under for his round, Matt
Fitzpatrick was assembling a remarkable score until running up a double-bogey five at the 17th. As it was, he signed for a 69 to be the only man over the tortuous weekend to shoot in the sixties. ‘Oh, I’ll take that as a small consolation, thanks,’ he said.
In his own words, Fitzpatrick had the ‘ball on a string’ as he played the first six holes in fourunder par. ‘Thereafter, the wind picked up and it became a grind,’ he added.
At one under for the event after a fifth birdie at the 16th, the 25-year- old from Sheffield went to the 17th thinking if he could sneak in one more birdie putt he might set a target that would see him go one better than last year’s runner-up finish. A four iron that finished in the water hazard put paid to that.
After the worst score of his career on Saturday, Brooks Koepka improved by 10 shots with a 71. not that he was too impressed. Asked if he felt a lot better about his game, he was his usual candid self. ‘no, it’s still s**t, really s**t. I don’t know what it is about my game at this time of year but it’s always bad,’ he said.
he did, however, show some feel on the greens for the first time this year and revealed: ‘I think I’m on to something with my putting.’ Another month or so, and we might be looking upon that comment as significant when handing out the green jacket.