by Tyrrell Hatton will take a one-shot lead into the third round of the British Masters after justifying his pre-tournament favourite position at The Belfry.
Hatton took advantage of the ideal conditions for the early starters to shoot a second round of 65 for a halfway total of 10 under par, with South Africa’s Brandon Stone, Spain’s Jorge Campillo and France’s Jeong weon Ko all nine under par.
Competing on the DP World Tour after appealing sanctions imposed on him for playing LIV events without permission, Hatton had eight birdies and just one bogey on Friday, although his best shot of the day was a recovery shot worthy of the late Seve Ballesteros on the sixth.
Hatton’s tee shot stopped just yards from a water hazard and left him facing a 217-yard shot under overhanging tree branches, but the Ryder Cup star hit a superb four-iron onto the green to set up an easy par.
“I’d give it seven out of 10,” Hatton said with a smile. “Seve probably would have hit the ball about five feet, but I was just happy to have the putter in my hand for the next one.
“It was a tough shot. I got really lucky off the tee, didn’t hit a good tee shot and on another day it could have easily ended up in the hazard. I got really lucky and it was nice to hit a 4-iron on the green.
“We always say we left something out, it’s never perfect, right? But I’m more than happy to have shot seven under par today. Ultimately, it’s the first job done to make the cut and give ourselves a chance going into the weekend and I’m happy with where we’re at.”
“It was nice to see some putts go in. I made a few good putts for par, especially on my second hole of the day, the 11th.
“I made my first putt from eight feet out and you don’t want to start the round with a three-putt at the beginning. I made a good putt there and a nice one on the next one for birdie that got us going.
“I missed a few more courts, so it would be nice if I couldn’t do it over the weekend. I just have to keep giving myself opportunities.
“If you hit the ball well here, there are quite a few holes where you play with wedges and you can give yourself a good chance of scoring quite low.”
Asked if being a big favourite for the title before play started put him under extra pressure, Hatton added: “No, not really, just naturally the pressure I put on myself to go out there and try to play well.
“No matter what the odds are, it doesn’t change how you’re going to hit the ball. At the end of the day, I go out there and do my best every shot and that’s all I can do.”
