Tyrrell Hatton claimed he was stopping himself voicing his real thoughts about Augusta National after four-putting the final green for a painful double bogey.
The frustrated LIV Golf star said he was “devastated” after striking the ball superbly and playing the first 17 holes in one-under par in testing conditions. But Hatton, the world No.19, then sent his 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th three feet above the hole - and his par putt lipped out and rolled seven feet down the hill. He then missed the bogey putt to card a 73 and slip out to three-over par.
“It's tough to take,” said the Ryder Cup star. “I don't know how I have to play golf around here to shoot under par. Like it's now my 23rd tournament round. I've got four rounds under par.
“I don't know what to say about the last. The greens are getting quicker, but I'm putting up the hill. I actually felt like I'd left the putt a foot short. My pace has been good all day. It's gone like three feet past, and the cup's sitting like that (he motioned with his hand to show a steep angle).
“You can't see it on TV or whatever, but it's an interesting slope that it's on. It's hard. With even that short putt I can feel the wind on my back as well. So that doesn't make the right-to-left putt any easier.
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"Obviously I hit it a little bit firm. It looks horrific on TV, but if it's a flat putt, it's going a foot past, two foot past, not six foot, eight foot past. It's brutal for me at the moment to be honest. I feel like I'm putting on a brave face for what I want to talk about or say.”
Tyrrell Hatton admitted he was biting his tongue over his true feelings towards Saturday's round at Augusta NationalHatton played with Woods in a Major for the first time - and saw the American superstar shoot his highest ever score in a Major with his 82. Asked about Woods, the world No.19 added: “Sure, he didn't hit it how he wanted to, but also like putts that he had, like the greens are so fast out there. You guys, you don't realise, even a 2 1/2 foot putt is just brutal.
"They've got so much turn. You start it a centimetre outside of your start line and it's going to miss. I've said the kid inside of me playing with Tiger at the Masters, like that's really cool.
"That's certainly not lost on me. But at the same time, I'm going out there competing, trying to put together the best round I can and trying to move up the leaderboard, which for 17 1/2 holes I feel like I did a really good job of. I'm devastated, to be honest.”
Tyrrell Hatton was playing with Tiger Woods on Saturday and spoke about what it was like watching him up closeHatton has recorded only one top 20 finish here in seven previous visits when he was tied 18th in 2021 following his final round 68 - his only ever score in the 60s here. And never one to hide his emotions, he has not been previously shy to complain about the first Major of the year.
Two years ago the Ryder Cup player branded the course set-up as “unfair” after weekend rounds of 79 and 80.
And Hatton was not happy with the pace of play from the group in front - Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im and Kurt Kitagama - after his slow second round on Friday. “The lads in front have been so slow,” he said. "It's pretty poor from the officials that it took 32 holes to put them on the clock.”
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