Tyrrell Hatton was the final piece of the puzzle that completed Jon Rahm’s team, Legion III. The Englishman joined the team two days before the season opener in Mayakoba for a reported $65 million. They then played fantastically as a unit as they won the LIV Golf Mayakoba event in their debut season.
However, it seems that not everything has been sunshine and rainbows for the 32-year-old pro. On his latest podcast appearance, Hatton described the shotgun start that had been bothering him about the LIV Golf’s format and he was “not in love with the shotgun start” which may take some time for him to adjust to.
Tyrrell Hatton isn’t a fan of shotgun starts
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Tyrrell Hatton was the latest guest on the Fairway to Heaven podcast with Su Ann Heng and Jerry Foltz. The 6-time DP World Tour winner talked about his decision to join the PIF-backed league and how he has been settling in with the new format and his new teammates. While talking about the things he liked about LIV Golf, Hatton also ventured on the topic of one thing he didn’t like.
The 32-year-old pro said, “I’m not in love with the shotgun start.” Hatton liked the “idea of kind of being on the golf course at the same time,” but he believed that could still be achievable with the conventional two-tee start. The Englishman described why he isn’t a fan of shotgun start because the “warmup situation is hard.” He further said, “You want to have like a nice warm-up, like do your routine and get to the tee, as and when you want.”
Hatton explained that usually, he used to get to the tee box three minutes before and “get to the putting green just shy of 10 minutes before” to “putt for five minutes.” However, with a shotgun start, Hatton has to “leave 20 minutes before your tee time to get out to, you might be at the furthest point in the golf course,” depending on the hole assigned. The 1-time PGA Tour winner iterated, “I’m not in love with that side of it.”
However, the 32-year-old expressed that since it is a new phase in his career, it may take him a little time to adjust to the new format. While Hatton didn’t like the shotgun start, his team captain, Jon Rahm, had also expressed his dissatisfaction with LIV Golf’s 54-hole format.
Jon Rahm may urge LIV Golf for a traditional 72-hole events
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Before joining the breakaway circuit, Jon Rahm had laughed that people attach his name to the league as he never liked the format. Though later he backed on his statements and joined the league, his stance on the format didn’t change even after signing the deal. The Spaniard gave an interview to Jim Rome and detailed that it would take him some time to adjust to the 54-hole events.
Moreover, he said, “I still maintain that my stance that I would like to see four days.” Then, Rahm gave a subtle hint that LIV Golf might change the format for the 2025 season. He explained that for the current season, he would have to deal with a three-day tournament, but in the future, there may be a chance of change.
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Seeing its players opine against the format, will LIV Golf adjust it according to players’s priorities in the future? Only time will tell.
