Tyrrell Hatton's honest reaction to equaling St Andrews course record speaks volumes

Tyrrell Hatton claimed he has never tried harder to hole a putt after the LIV Golf star sensationally equaled the Old Course record at St Andrews.

On Saturday, during the third day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Hatton enjoyed a sensational round to hold a one-shot lead heading into the last day. He made nine birdies and added an eagle on his way to a sensational 11-under 61.

The Englishman also leads the team event alongside his father Jeff on 38 under. In the individual tournament, Hatton was aware of his historic 18 holes, which started with a brilliant burst of scoring on the front nine to grab a share of the lead after six holes.

• Matt Fitzpatrick makes feelings brutally clear on LIV Golf-PGA merger talks
• Rory McIlroy feels glare of PGA Tour pal after ignoring golf etiquette

Hatton then tallied four straight birdies from the 12th to get within one of the lead. He added back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th to join Ross Fisher in the history books at St Andrews.

“I was just taking each hole as it came and just trying to make as many birdies as I could,” Hatton told Sky Sports. “I had actually shot 10 under here before. So yeah, I really wanted to birdie the last. That's actually my lowest round on tour as well. Felt like I was trying harder than I normally would for a putt on the last.

"Good putt and thankfully it went in. It was a cool day.”

Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news

Hatton has shot 10-under at the Old Course in the past and knew he needed to make the nine-foot putt for birdie at the iconic 18th. He holed out, and now Hatton has recorded a bit of history as he leads the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Hatton is one of 13 LIV Golf players in the field this week, where he is looking to win a third title at Dunhill. Heading into the final day, Hatton sits atop the leaderboard on 22-under par - just one shot clear of Belgiam’s Nicolas Colsaerts, who carded a third round of 7-under 65 at Kingsbarns.

Hatton is taking part in the tournament because he wants to secure eligibility to play in his fourth Ryder Cup . The Englishman must be a DP World Tour member in 2025, which means he must play at least four tour events in 2024 - the minimum required to become eligible.

Elsewhere, England's Tommy Fleetwood and Spain’s Jon Rahm - the 2024 LIV Golf individual champion - are also inside the top 10 but would need something remarkable in round four to claim the title. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is further down the leaderboard, sitting at four-under.