Hatton and McIlroy are tied at the top of the DP World Tour Championship after the opening round, but despite carding a five-under-par round, Tyrrell was struggling with the conditions and the Englishman wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion.
“I don’t know how the weather has been over here, but the greens are definitely slower than they have been in the past,” commented Hatton.
“Because they are slower, the grain probably takes the ball a little bit more, so they don’t roll as well as they have previously, and the fairways are a little bit odd, as well. The rough is tougher if you miss the fairways this year; it’s hard.”
Hatton Off To A Flyer
Hatton dropped two shots during his round, and like Rory, the pair carded seven birdies, but both failed to birdie the iconic par-5 18th.
“The fairways are quite awkward to play off; even on the last, I hit a nice wedge shot and I got a flyer,” added the Alfred Dunhill Links Champion.
“You’re not really playing for that. So, I think you need a little bit of luck in terms of how we expect our distances to be, and I guess it’s not quite coming off as we think.”
Just one shot back is Dubai-based hero Paul Waring, who certainly looks at home on the big stage after winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week. Though 19 players are within three shots of the lead, the tough conditions might prevent a player from going super low and pulling away from the pack.
