Tyrrell Hatton and his complicated relationship with the Masters
· Yahoo Sports
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Even with the warm Georgia sun beating down on Augusta National, the steam racing out of Tyrrell Hatton's ears was noticeable.
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
He took off his hat and swiped it toward the hole with disgust, anger seething out of his mouth in the way of distasteful words and vociferous phrases. His face beamed red. The patrons have seen this from Hatton before, but this time was a bit different.
The Englishman missed a 6 footer for par on the last, an aggravating blemish on what would have been the first bogey-free round of the 2026 Masters Tournament. Instead, Hatton signed for a 6-under 66, which vaulted him into contention heading to the weekend at the year's first major.
"Today was a great day. Actually walking up 18 I was pretty confident that I couldn't mess it up enough that I wouldn't shoot my best score here," Hatton said. "Naturally I tried with a three-putt, so that was disappointing, to say the least. But, yeah, I certainly would have taken 6 under before I went out."
The round was Hatton's best in 10 starts at the Masters, and he moved to 4 under for the tournament and well within striking distance on what's going to be a volatile golf course heading to the weekend.
Hatton admits "if anything, I am probably more on edge," during the Masters, a place he has well-documented disdain for. In 2022, he called Augusta National "unfair at times." Then two years ago, he again quipped, "I don't know what I have to do around this place to get some good fortune and actually shoot under par and get a score that I deserve."
His tone was quite mum following his round Friday, perhaps a product of blowing off all his steam while walking off the 18th green and into scoring. His relationship with the course is complicated. But as of late, Hatton is starting to figure it out.
"I think my results have got better the last few years, which is nice," he said Friday afternoon. "There's spots around the golf course that are very difficult. I don't shy away from saying things, so yeah, that's just how I am, and I won't change."
Even after Friday's second round, Hatton was already forecasting issues with the par-5 15th green this weekend, a surface that has played as hard as a diamond in the first two rounds. With forecasts calling for plenty of sun over the weekend, a hard and fast Augusta National is going to become a behemoth.
That means Hatton, and every other player who makes the cut, is going to be tested.
"I know it's going to be tough, so the more greens I can hit and hopefully hit it on the right spots on those greens, then it will make my life a little bit easier," he said.
On Friday, Hatton hit all 18 greens, only the third player to accomplish the feat at Augusta National since 1997, joining Jim Furyk (2009) and Kevin Na (2020). On a golf course that's demanding precision with approach play, Hatton's is standing out.
Two years ago, Hatton said “I don't know how I have to play golf around here to shoot under par." Hitting every green is a great place to start.
"It's going to be tough," Hatton said. "There's always going to be someone that deals with it very well, and they'll be putting on a green jacket on Sunday. Yeah, I'll just try and do the best I can and see if I get a bit of luck for a change."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2026: Tyrrell Hatton shoots career-best 66 at Augusta National