DUNHILL LINKS
Ryder Cup winner Tyrrell Hatton fired a 66 at St Andrews yesterday to put himself on course for a third consecutive victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Just six says after being part of Europe’s thumping 17½-10½ victory at Le Golf National, the Englishman stood on the brink of making more history as he looked to become just the second Englishman after Sir Nick Faldo to win the same European Tour event three years in succession. Faldo achieved the feat at the Irish Open between 1991 and 1993, while the last player to do it was Tiger Woods, who won the WGC-Invitational and WGCChampionship events from 2005 to 2007. Hatton will enter the final day at St Andrews on 14-under-par, one shot clear of Australian Marcus Fraser and three ahead of countryman and fellow Ryder Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood and Scottish 2004 champion Stephen Gallacher. “I’m certainly going to go out there tomorrow and give it my best,” Hatton said. “To join that club would be so special. “It was nice to shoot a decent score. The front nine, although I was five-under, felt quite difficult. It was pretty cold this morning and I was struggling to warm up. “I hit a few loose shots, got away with a couple, which was nice, and then holed a couple of putts. I felt like I could have scored better on the back nine, but hit a few loose shots again. “We’re in a good position going into the final day and that’s all we can ask for.” Hatton led by three at the turn after he birdied the second, eagled the par-five fifth and then made another eagle on the parfour ninth after driving the green. When he bogeyed the 12th, his