Tyrrell Hatton admitted he felt stiff after playing 36 holes at Sentry.
Traveling from the UK to Maui will be especially likely for those who admitted they “didn't take care of themselves” during December.
Translation: Hutton celebrated the holiday quite cheekily. But he also has a lot to celebrate on Friday.
Hatton shot a stunning 11-under 62, the worst round of his career under par.
“It might be a surprise to be able to do it in the second round early this year after a long break,” Hatton said.
“I think this shows what a stupid game this game is. Obviously, I put it in [beautifully] today. That's a big reason why my score was so low. Yes, I'm surprised I didn't have that score in mind when I went out this morning, even though I wasn't feeling well. Rather, it's probably over, over par. ”
His 62 was tied for the lowest round he has ever carded on the PGA Tour. The last time was during the second round of the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open.
Hatton finished Friday's round with three straight birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole.
The Englishman knocked on his house. #18 Eagle from 96 feet— he might have been in a different zip code.
“The 18th one was 90 feet or so. That's just a bonus,” Hatton said of his final stroke of the day.
“I was hoping to roll the ball somewhere close, but thankfully the flag was in the way and the ball ended up in the hole.”
When Hatton left the track on Friday, he not only held the lead, but also led in total strokes gained.
He gained 3.364 strokes on the green and finished third in the second round.
Nevertheless, in typical Hatton fashion, his frustrations were at their peak on the par-4 14th hole, where he hit his only bogey of the day.
Faced with a difficult third shot from the front of the green, Hatton dipped his chip cold and came up woefully short.
his Then the emotions took over:
Asked if his expectations were lower, Hatton said: “I'm still just as frustrated with bad shots.”
And by the 14th, he was visibly shaken.
But how high should those expectations be? What's impressive about his incredible play so far is that he has only played one round of golf since the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in mid-November. I'm saying that.
He hasn't practiced much either.
In the week leading up to The Sentry, Hutton admitted he was hitting balls for 30 minutes a day in his father's studio.
He has since flown halfway around the world and is currently competing in the first signature event of the 2024 season. Hatton currently shares the lead with Im Sung-jae and Brendon Todd at 15 under as of this writing.
Talk about “stupid” games.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
