PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — If you listened to Tyrrell Hatton’s post-round press conference on Friday, following a three-under 69 that left him a five under and squarely in the top five at the 2025 British Open, you might have noticed a recurring theme that felt pretty appropriate for Northern Ireland: In a three-minute chat, he responded to questions about pints of Guinness four times.
How did cap off his fun Wednesday night excursion to Ballyreagh Golf Course, a nine-hole par-3 in Portrush?
“I went and had three pints of Guinness afterwards, so that kind of made the evening a bit better.”
How does he unwind after a round, and does it resemble Sadom Kaewkanjana’s practice of meditation?
“Normally a Guinness is a pretty good way to start. Certainly, this week anyway.”
Will he be indulging tonight?
“Would be rude not to.”
How many?
“I think three is the magic number … you’re definitely not close to a hangover … hopefully I’ve got a late tee time tomorrow so I can have a lay-in, as well.”
What did he and Min Woo Lee’s caddie say to each other on the 18th green?
“To be honest, I said, ‘I’ll see you later for a pint.’ It was a lovely moment.”
Hatton, one of the more affable characters in professional golf despite his frequent outbursts on the course, was clearly leaning into the bit, and he had the gathered journalists laughing every time he went back to the well. That must have been a relief after a stressful day that he called “frustrating,” and that frequently engaged one of his most known qualities: rage. When one journalist noted that he seemed to be more even-keeled despite an up-and-down day, he didn’t agree.
“I don’t know,” Hatton said, “I was still pretty vocal. Maybe I’m just having to do it away from the microphone.”
Asked if he was perhaps just encouraging himself, the colorful LIV Golf League member refused to take the easy way out.
“Oh, no. No. It was pretty negative stuff,” he said.
Wisely, he wouldn’t elaborate—”it’ll get me in trouble”—but he was quick to defend his unorthodox emotional methods.
“I’ve always felt like even though I can be losing my s–t, I can get over the next shot and still have a clear mind of what I’m still trying to achieve on that shot,” Hatton said. “Although from the outside it looks like I’m completely gone, in my own mind I still know where I’m at.”
He certainly proved it on Friday, with just two bogeys, one of them coming after an uncharacteristic missed lob wedge on 14. The five birdies more than made up for the miscues, and as things stood in the late afternoon, he’s just three shots behind clubhouse co-leader Brian Harman.
A month ago at the U.S. Open, Hatton endured a near-miss at Oakmont, tying for fourth, but said on Friday that he felt positive about how he played under pressure on Sunday and is eager for a second chance. Great golf could bring him there, and he’ll attempt it with his unique lifestyle both and on off the course—Guinness, swearing, and a good long sleep. It’s not necessarily what you’d draw up if you were designing a professional golfer, but Hatton’s results speak for themselves, and when asked if he would ever change, he just shook his head.
“I’m 33,” he said. “I think that ship has sailed.”
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
