MUSIC TO MY EARS
Home crowds boost Hatton after hostile galleries he faced in Ryder Cup misery
TYRRELL HATTON and Ryder Cup pal Tommy Fleetwood are relishing home comforts in Fife after a bear pit in Wisconsin.
Hatton walked off a windswept Kingsbarns with a two-under 70 to move to 10 under at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The 29-year-old is one clear of fellow Englishman Daniel Gavins who hit a four-under 68 at Carnoustie, one of the two other courses this week’s tourney is being played on.
Danny Willett grabbed a 12th hole eagle at Kingsbarns in his 69 to be tied for third on eight under while Fleetwood shot a 71 at Kingsbarns to reach seven under at halfway.
Hatton said: “Being back home just doesn’t feel as stressful as a normal tournament and that has probably helped the guys to come and play this week after a Ryder Cup.
“Last week you had the standard comments. If you were teeing off, guys would be saying, ‘Water on the left’ before you hit your shot or, ‘Water on the right’. It was stupid stuff like that.
“The only bad stuff I had was a guy opening a can at the top of my backswing on 15 on Saturday afternoon. It is what it is.
“I am sure Emily, my wife, heard some things they said about me but I personally didn’t hear anything.
“You expect a hostile atmosphere when you play a Ryder Cup away and they created that.
“That’s why it’s just so nice to be back here, with Kingsbarns Links always a good set-up and we also are well looked after.”
Fleetwood echoed those sentiments and said: “The British spectators are always great and it’s nice to have fans more in our favour.
“They are much kinder. Last week was an amazing life experience for us and given what was happening with the crowd, it 100 per cent brought us so close together. I had a couple of great moments where I was in the last group on the course.
“It was an experience to go out there, be a team and take on arguably the greatest Ryder Cup team of all time. For me, it’s been two Ryder Cups with contrasting extremes – we’ve won one and lost one. Team Europe is an amazing group of people.
“The fact was we went out, fought and gave it everything. Everyone left with heads held high.”
Ewen Ferguson is the leading Scot after a 73 at Carnoustie left him four off the lead on six under. Stephen Gallacher (68) and Richie Ramsay (72) are on five under. Bob MacIntyre (77) is two over. Spain’s Alejandro del Rey made history with a 14-under-par 58 on the Challenge Tour, the lowest score to par on a major golf tour. All four previous 58s were on par 70 courses. Scot Kelsey MacDonald is tied for the lead with Nobuhle Dlamini of Swaziland after the first round of the Estrella Damm Ladies Open in Spain.