Tyrrell Hatton credits Guinness amid Open Championship success

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton has built a reputation for being candid and wearing his emotions on his sleeve. That was once again prevalent following Friday’s second round of the Open Championship. Hatton signed for a solid 2-under 69, following an opening 3-under. With much of the field still on the course, the LIV Golf star sits tied for fourth at 5-under.

Hatton was seen playing the nearby Ballyreagh golf course before the start of The Open. A reporter asked how that went, and to no one’s surprise, Hatton delved into his alcohol preferences.

“It was great. It was nice to get out there… it was nice to take your mind off the stress of this week,” Hatton said. “It was a beautiful evening. I went and had three pints of Guinness afterward. So, that probably kind of made the evening better.”

That, of course, prompted the question of how Tyrrell Hatton unwinds the stress of a championship week.

“Normally, a Guinness is a good way to start, certainly this week anyway,” said Hatton. “Whether that is being in the house, just watching Netflix, or something like that. Just to get away from golf.”

You probably guessed the follow-up question. “A couple more pints today?”

“Be rude not to,” Hatton said with a smile. “I think three is the magic number. If you go past three, you are kind of… yeah, two to three because you are definitely not close to a hangover, and you still feel like you’ve got, well, hopefully I got a late tee time tomorrow. So, I can have a lay in as well,” he said joyfully.

Tyrrell Hatton Nearing First Major Win

Hatton made the stunning move to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, alongside Jon Rahm, just over 18 months ago. Since that time, his on-course demeanor has been criticized by many. It is funny how there was much less of that before he jumped ship.

Nevertheless, the 33-year-old pro is having the best major championship season of his career. He finished tied for 14th at Augusta National earlier this year. A poor Sunday finish at Quail Hollow dropped him to 60th at the PGA Championship. But he rebounded with a very strong effort at Oakmont, finishing tied for fourth at the U.S. Open.

Now he finds himself in that same spot entering the weekend at Royal Portrush. This is a course where he has seen success before. He posted the second-best Open Championship finish of his career here in 2019, closing tied for sixth.

Three years earlier, he posted a T5 at The Open from Royal Troon.

Like him or hate him, he is an exceptional golfer. And if things fall Hatton’s way this weekend, he may become a major champion.