Tyrrell Hatton Regains Form, Leads 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Tyrrell Hatton regains form after disappointing Ryder Cup performance last week 

(image: David Cannon)

 

 

FIFE-SCOTLAND - Two rounds have been played at the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. As it stands heading into the weekend, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton leads with a score of 10-under and a single shot lead over Englishman Daniel Gavins.

As is tradition, a cut is not set at the tournament until the conclusion of the Saturday rounds, giving all players a chance to play the three courses at least once. The final round is then played at the Old Course at St. Andrews on Sunday.

 

HATTON REGAINS FORM AFTER RYDER CUP LULL

At the start of the week, Tyrrell Hatton would not have been in the best of moods. Just a week earlier at the Ryder Cup, his team was defeated in a dominant fashion, in a week that saw poor performances from much of Europe's best players, including Hatton.

But, this did not appear to have dampened Hatton's spirits.

The Englishman, who went 1-2-1, began his week at Carnoustie, where he shot an impressive 8-under 64, one shy of the course record held by Tommy Fleetwood. His round consisted of seven birdies, one eagle and one bogey, most of which occurred on the back nine, where he carded a 29. 

Friday saw Hatton traveling south to Kingsbarns, where he carded a 2-under 70, despite windy conditions.  

It is great to see Hatton performing well this week, given the self-admitted poor performance he had at the Ryder Cup. A win this week would be the bounce back he needs.

Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood has regained his form this week also. Fleetwood, who went 0-1-2 last week, currently sits at T5 with a score of 7-under, after carding a 66 at Kingsbarns and a 71 at Carnoustie.

WIND TAKES OVER CARNOUSTIE, KINGSBARNS AND ST ANDREWS ON FRIDAY

The gusting winds were the talk of the Friday rounds. All three courses saw higher winds speeds on Friday, compared to the previous day. 

 

The low round of the day was a 67 shot by our pick Shane Lowry, whereas the high round of the day was a 87 shot by Thomas Bjorn.

 

Being links courses, and especially ones of this caliber, wind plays a vital role in the difficult of the courses. Most will admit that links courses are benign unless the winds pick up. 

 

For the weekend, the winds are forecasted to stay in the 25km/h range, with gusts up to 45km/h on Saturday. Some light rain is also to be expected.

HOW ARE OUR PICKS DOING?

Let's take a look at our picks as they head into the weekend:

1) Shane Lowry: T7 at 6-under

2) Pablo Larrazabal: T100 at 2-over

3) Billy Horschel: T41 at 2-under

Lowry has continued his momentum roll from last week, and as we saw, when the conditions get tough, Lowry pulls though. Larrazabal will be disappointed this week, after shooting a 69 at Kingsbarns then a 77 at the Old Course. Horschel is in a less severe spot and can rally back with good weekend performance.

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Things will be interesting heading into the weekend at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Who will battle through the elements and win? 

 

 

Stay tuned for our recap post to find out.

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews