Catch me if you can. Tyrrell Hatton unleashed such a sustained bombardment on the Old Course during round three of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the newly unveiled statue of Auld Tom Morris situated nearby was probably left nursing a shrapnel wound.
On a delightful autumn day in the cradle of the game, Hatton, a two-time winner of this title, barged his way to the top of the leaderboard with a thrilling, course-record equaling 11-under 61. That gave him a mighty 22-under aggregate and a one-shot lead over Nicolas Colsaerts.
At his happy hunting ground, Hatton prospered once again. In the pleasantly benign conditions, which left the Old Course as vulnerable to an ambush as a newly born gazelle that’s surrounded by a lurking pack of hyenas, Hatton went on the attack.
As well as an eagle on the fifth, the 32-year-old birdied six of his last seven holes during a rousing rampage that would certainly have been worth the entry fee. If there was one, of course. The Dunhill Links is free for the first three days.
Dunhill Links: Leaderboard
This was Hatton’s lowest-ever round on tour and beat the 62 he conjured en route to winning the first of those two Dunhill Links titles in 2016.
“I felt like I was trying harder than I normally would for that birdie putt on the last,” he said of a 10-footer for a three which saw him finish with a flourish.
“I think I struggled when I played in the St. Andrews Links Trophy as an amateur and I didn’t do too well on my first two appearances at the Dunhill either. But since winning in 2016, it’s been pretty good to me. It’s a special place to play golf.”
“Sensational!”@TyrrellHatton goes right at the flag at the Road Hole. #dunhilllinks pic.twitter.com/wK4hGpPQ1a
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 5, 2024
Colsaerts served up something special too down the road at Kingsbarns. The 41-year-old former Ryder Cup player, who is down in 695th place on the world rankings, put on a show with a seven-under 65 which included an albatross two on the par-five 16th, his seventh.
At one point, Colsaerts, who only received an invitation to the event six days ago, was five shots clear of the rest but a double-bogey on his ninth, combined with Hatton’s menacing advance back at St. Andrews, saw that advantage obliterated.
It was still another fine shift at the office, though, for a man who is chasing a first tour win since he landed the French Open in 2019.
“Super special,” he said of that two which was…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…