Tyrrell Hatton has become arguably golf’s most compelling character and appears in prime form heading into a crucial period of the calendar.
He must be near the top of Netflix producer wish lists for the second series of their Full Swing documentaries. In tournaments TV directors linger on his face after he strikes a shot because they are often rewarded with a reaction worth hearing.
Hatton possesses a rare sense of self-deprecation that can be funny and usually insightful.
At the recent Players Championship, Hatton told US television: “You’ll have to clip that,” as he acknowledged the scarcity of footage of him smiling.
It followed a glorious four-iron from pine straw, that cut back on the wind from over the water that stretches down the left of the closing hole at Sawgrass. The shot set up a birdie which brought him home in 29 blows to finish runner-up to Scottie Scheffler.
It was worth an astonishing second place prize of £2.2m, so he had every reason to smile. But even without such a windfall, he increasingly looks like a man comfortable within himself.
And for British golf fans that is even better news.
It has been more than two years since Hatton last won a tournament. This after a spell of five victories in 14 remarkable months which lifted him to fifth in the world.
His results tailed off without losing base consistency. He spent much of last year turning up on the PGA and DP World Tours, doing enough to make cuts but rarely contending.
He admits he was not happy. He was beset by low self esteem and lacked motivation to do anything about it.
“I think that was part of my struggles last year, when I got into some fairly bad habits with diet and various liquids that didn’t really help with performance,” Hatton told BBC Sport.
“I think that definitely played a part. You know, just not feeling all that comfortable in may own body.
“I think that’s a huge thing for anyone. If you’re comfortable in your own skin, you’re in a better place and certainly playing professional golf, if you’re in a good place it’s easier to go out and play well.”
Hatton’s reference to “various liquids” deserves proper context. It is not meant to suggest he has a drink problem, but that he might have indulged in a beer or two more than some of his contemporaries in the ultra fit world of 21st Century pro golf.
An effective gym regime is also a key to success but, for him, not easy to accomplish. “It’s hard when the alarm goes off,” he smiled.
“I’d rather train in the morning because then it is done and out of the way and you can enjoy the rest of the day.
“Getting there is the hardest bit. Once you’re done, you feel good about yourself.”
Hatton bookended the 2020 lockdown period with his biggest wins to date; the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March and the BMW PGA at Wentworth six months later.
“If I look back to 2020 and the work I put in off the golf course and how I played on the course, they married up nicely,” he said.
“Obviously the guys that are coming out now are younger, stronger and better. It’s only going to get harder moving forward so it’s just something that I feel like you have to do these days.”
This week Hatton plays the last WGC Matchplay at Austin Country Club, while ranked 16th in the world – his highest placing for a year.
Prior to finishing second at Sawgrass, Hatton shared fourth at Bay Hill, was tied sixth in Phoenix and seventh in Abu Dhabi in January where we had our conversation.
At 31 and a decade into a tour career that spans both sides of the Atlantic, he is surely entering the peak time of his career. “Allegedly,” he laughed.
“Time will tell. Last year for me was fairly disappointing.
“Only in the sense that I felt like I didn’t give myself too many chances to go out on a Sunday and try and win the tournament. It was a consistent year, kind of good in that sense.”
It feels as though he has pushed a reset button and results suggest as much. But Hatton hesitated to agree. “I mean, I would like to make more of an effort this year to be better away from the golf course,” he said.
“If I can put the work in away from the golf course to try and make myself better, emotionally and physically then hopefully that translates into playing good golf.”
He can have few complaints with his season so far. All that is missing is a win and some might say he is ‘trending’.
If so, the timing is pretty good with the Masters in April and then a major a month through until July’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Augusta will be his 31st major and seventh Masters. He has suffered two missed cuts in pursuit of a first green jacket and last year was in full “Mr Angry” mode after finishing 52nd.
“My putting is absolutely disgusting,” he fumed at the time. “Obviously, it’s tough out there, but I’m not in a good mood. I’m so frustrated with these greens.
“It seems every year I play here, I just never hole putts, and this year has been the same. I’ve wanted bury my putter several times. It’s definitely a love/hate relationship, and there’s a lot of hate at the moment.”
Typical Tyrrell. There is many a hole he would love to see blown up across the golfing globe and he often entertains with the scarce honesty of his post-round assessments.
But there is a hard-nosed edge too. More important to him than his bumper runner-up cheque at Sawgrass were the FedEx Cup points that accompanied his performance.
“Every year we’re all trying to earn as many points as we can,” he said.
Now there is a bigger imperative to ensure a top-50 finish in the FedEx standings, to guarantee entry to PGA Tour ‘designated events’ next year.
“Obviously some of the European lads are in the same boat, where we play DP World stuff at the back end of the calendar year and we miss some events over in the States.
“So I’m just out here trying to earn as many points as I can and try and set myself up nicely for next year.”
Hatton’s form will encourage Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald, who has surely earmarked his fellow Englishman for September’s clash with the US in Rome.
On debut Hatton was part of the big win in Paris in 2018 and a member of the European team that suffered a record defeat at Whistling Straits three years later.
“The best week of my golfing life, both weeks, to be honest; they’re very special win or lose,” he said.
“It’s hard to put into words how special it really is. The team meetings and the videos that they show, you can’t not be inspired by that.
“I’ve got a couple of the videos saved on my phone and from time to time I’ll watch them back and still get goosebumps. They’re experiences that you’ll never ever forget.
“I will be trying my best to hopefully be on that team in Rome this September and hopefully we can win the Ryder Cup back.”
He does not sound like a man lacking motivation.
Source – BBC Sport
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