Furious star blasts ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair’ US Open
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The US Open at Oakmont served up drama – and controversy – in equal measure, including a late stumble in brutal conditions that meant one furious contender.
If there’s one man you can count on to speak his mind, it’s Tyrrell Hatton. The 33-year-old doesn’t just wear his heart on his sleeve – he practically carries around his own commentary box, complete with a swear jar on standby.
So when he came agonisingly close to winning the US Open at Oakmont – only to fall away late, arguably thanks to some brutally unpredictable conditions during a weather-hit final round – it was no surprise to see him speaking with trademark honesty (and frustration) afterwards.
In what he called a “pretty tough day”, Hatton pointed to a pivotal moment on the penultimate hole that effectively ended his chances.
“That finish at the end hurts a lot,” he admitted. “If you’re going to miss the 17th with that pin, you have to miss it right. I did my bit. I feel like I was extremely unlucky to finish where it did.”
Hatton closed with back-to-back bogeys for a round of 72 and a +3 total – just four shots off eventual winner JJ Spaun.
“Yeah, what happened on 17 is going to hurt for a long time,” he added. “It was the first time I’ve been in contention in a major, and that was exciting, but I feel like through a bit of bad luck I had momentum taken away from me. Ultimately it ended up not being my day.”
His mood darkened further during a post-round press conference exchange that turned frosty when one journalist pushed him on his definition of bad luck.
Q. Why was it bad luck, do you think?
HATTON: Why was it bad luck?
Q. Yeah.
HATTON: Why do you think it was bad luck? What kind of question is that?
Q. No, I’m just saying what made it bad luck, do you think?
HATTON: You think stopping on the downslope in the rough? Like, that’s ridiculous. As I said, if you’re going to miss that green, you have to miss it right in the bunker. I’ve hit a decent – obviously not a decent tee shot, that would have been on the green – but I feel I’ve missed it in the right spot and got punished, which ultimately I don’t think ends up being fair.
Reporters were wise enough not to remind a combustible Hatton that eventual winner JJ Spaun suffered more than his fair share of misfortune during the final round.
The 34-year-old American hit the pin with what looked like a perfect approach at the 2nd hole, only to watch his ball ricochet and finish 50 yards away. Two holes later, he struck a rake that had been left just off the fairway, leaving him with a tricky ball-above-the-feet lie. Spaun kept his cool, kept grinding – and finished four shots ahead of Hatton.
But on a day when nerves frayed, luck deserted many, and the course bit back, Hatton’s frustration wasn’t just understandable – it was entirely in character.
After all, if you’re going to come up short, you may as well go down swinging. And swearing.
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Tyrrell Hatton slams US Open as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair’
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Tyrrell Hatton wasn't happy with the finish to his US Open challenge
