LIV golf’s Tyrell Hatton teed off early on Thursday at the Open Championship. The 34-year-old raised concerns about the pace of play at Royal Birkdale.

For the first two rounds, Hatton is part of a marquee group alongside defending champ Scottie Scheffler and fellow LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. The opening round felt slow to the Englishman.

“Well, you only need to concentrate when you get to your ball, don't you? So, obviously, there's a lot more downtime. I mean, our group were pretty chatty today, I think. And yeah, there was times where you just have a good chat before you have to start focusing on the next shot,” said Hatton.

Hatton and his group began at 9:58 am on Thursday and finished off the round late in the day. The LIV golfer couldn’t wrap his head around the slow pace amidst ‘perfect’ playing conditions.

“Yeah, it felt slow. I don't know. I mean, to be honest, the conditions that we played in today were perfect, weren't they? So in that sense, I don't know if the golf course can, I don't want to say play any easier, it's still challenging out there,” Hatton said to the media, as shown on Chris McKee's X post.

Players loved playing under the conditions offered on opening day. The dry conditions are optimal, and with no rain, Royal Birkdale has been a challenge the players have welcomed with open arms.

Despite that, the pace of play was questionable. Hatton wondered what things would’ve been like under difficult conditions.

“But if you imagine if we had bad weather, it would be even longer. I don't know how the pace of play gets better. It's obviously a big field. The par fives were reachable,” he added.

Hatton concluded the opening round with a 1-under 69. He ended up tied for 24th, four strokes off the top.

Hatton had good things to say about one of his playing partners, Bryson DeChambeau

Tyrell Hatton on Bryson DeChambeau’s performance at the Open

Tyrell Hatton had a huge appreciation for fellow LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time major winner has struggled this season at majors, missing the cut at each of them. However, his strong start at Royal Birkdale wasn’t a shock to Hatton.

“No, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s an amazing player. No, he flights the ball great. His ball flight today was really good. He didn’t really hit many bad shots. As I said, he’s an amazing player, and it shouldn’t really surprise anyone that he’s doing well,” said Hatton, as per HITC.

DeChambeau carded a 3-under 67 on Thursday. His round featured five birdies and two bogeys, which kept him two strokes off the top.

Tied for 4th after the opening round, the 32-year-old will look to end his disappointing run at majors and hopefully secure his third major title at Royal Birkdale.

What are your thoughts on Hatton’s comment on the pace of play? Share them in the comments.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi