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Why fiery Tyrrell Hatton can end England's 33-year Open drought
Why fiery Tyrrell Hatton can end England's 33-year Open drought

Times

time15-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Times

Why fiery Tyrrell Hatton can end England's 33-year Open drought

Tyrrell Hatton had a good time on his previous visit to Royal Portrush. A bit too good in fact. 'My memory is a bit foggy,' he says. 'I was on a lads' tour and we'd had a fair amount of Guinness.' The craic was excellent but the hangover hurt. 'I wasn't in my healthiest state.' Making more lasting memories is this week's goal as he aims to become the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992, but he has been warming up in similar fashion. Two weeks ago the annual tour returned to Ireland, taking in the joys of Adare Manor and Lahinch among other venues. 'We had a skinful,' he confesses. Presumably he is now off the beer. 'Yeah, I'll be a good boy until the end of the week.' Of course, being a good boy has often been a source of debate when it comes to Hatton. He can be a sublime player who can wield a wedge as well as anyone, but headlines often focus on his volcanic outbursts. Last year, this led to Sky commentator Ewen Murray opining that it was 'time for a change' and damning Hatton as 'a terrible influence'. In January, Hatton won the Dubai Desert Classic but destroyed a tee box. In May he was caught on a TV microphone admonishing his driver at the US PGA — 'you piece of shit'. This week Faldo suggested that Hatton's eruptions hamper his chances. 'You look at all the major champions and very few of them have beaten themselves up mid-round,' he said. Hatton, though, is not for turning and he is scarcely alone in swearing and swinging clubs in anger. Indeed, the Open champion from the 2019 staging at Royal Portrush, Shane Lowry, was heard raging: 'F*** this place!' at Quail Hollow in May, while Rory McIlroy smashed a tee marker at last month's US Open. 'It's very clear that there's a lot of players that seem to do it,' Hatton says. 'When I do it, it seems more exaggerated. I won't lose any sleep over it. I've been that way for so many years and I'm not going to change. I'm 33, soon to be 34. It's not like I'm a 12-year-old — although some people argue that my actions come across as a 12-year-old.' If the consequences of his frustration gain attention, the cause is more interesting. Hatton believes it is actually a quest for perfection that lights the inner fuse. 'It's probably an unrealistic expectation of myself, trying to hit the perfect golf shot every time, or at the bare minimum a good golf shot. That's where it stems from,' he says. Given the rise of the golfing entourage and the faith the likes of McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood have placed in Bob Rotella, has he thought about employing a psychologist? 'I tried it,' he says. 'It was something you did in the England squad that you didn't necessarily have much of a choice in. It didn't feel to me like I got much out of it. Then I tried it again early on when I got my European Tour card. Again I didn't get out of it what I guess the outside world wanted me to.' For Hatton, who rose to fifth in the world before decamping to LIV Golf, a poor record at the majors was polished by fourth place at the US Open last month. That was memorable for the smile that spread as he gave an interview while watching a TV screen show JJ Spaun's winning stroke. 'Unbelievable,' he said. 'What a putt to win!' 'Looking back, it was great to be in that position,' he says. 'I've played a lot of majors now and up until that moment I hadn't given myself a chance to win one. I enjoyed being in that position and I feel like, for the most part, I handled it really well. Too many times I have got in my own way so it was nice when the pressure was at its highest that I was pretty calm and dealt with everything, even the disappointment of walking off 18 and handling the media at a time where it's so raw. All the emotions that come with that are hard.' It was a tough denouement with Hatton bogeying the final two holes and finishing four shots off the pace. 'I could deal with the one on 18 because I didn't hit that fairway all week; even in the practice rounds I didn't hit it. The one on 17 hurt because I feel I hit a shot that was a good miss,' he says. To his dismay, the rough around the bunkers meant it stopped on the downslope, but as things panned out he would have needed two birdies to get into a play-off. 'I'm OK with it,' he says. 'Well, as OK as you can be.' Hatton can be drily self-deprecating and came up with a decent line at Oakmont, reasoning he had 'a head off' every week, so the head-scrambling nature of Oakmont brought his rivals 'to my level'. His US Open finish also had a wider significance. 'It's got me into the US Open for next year and the Masters. Hopefully, that's all four majors next year,' he adds. Things may become easier with LIV Golf resubmitting its application to gain world ranking points, but Hatton has managed to remain as high as 23rd in the world after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links, finishing second in Abu Dhabi and fifth at the Saudi International. And the DP World Tour has been happy for the appeals of Hatton and Jon Rahm against fines for playing in clashing events to be kicked down the road until after the Ryder Cup. Hypocritical perhaps, but it shows the importance of the pair to the team. Faldo remains the last Englishman to win the Open, 33 years ago. At Portrush in 2019 there were four Englishmen in the top ten — Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Hatton and Danny Willett. This time there are 20 in the field including Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and Aaron Rai. When the sobering wind blows off the Atlantic, the challenge for all will be to keep calm. Thursday to SundayPortrushTV Sky Sports

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