Tyrrell Hatton has a reputation which transcends golf.
Mention his name to casual fans and they might say, ‘The angry one?’
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So much so, it is easy to forget Hatton ranks as the 14th-best golfer in the entire world.
Viral videos of meltdowns and sarcastic outbursts tend to prove more interesting than top-ten finishes.
But what makes the Englishman so popular is the relatability of his bad moods.
Like queuing and talking about the weather, there is something quintessentially British about Hatton’s temper.
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From hurling clubs to demanding his caddie ranks the latest miscue among the worst shots of all-time, his so-called tantrums are more like slapstick comedy.
There is no doubt Hatton is fun to watch – but some have questioned whether the 31-year-old’s temper gets in the way of his true potential.
Hatton, who has six European Tour titles and one PGA Tour victory, has not won since 2021.
Despite contending at a number of events in 2023, he is yet to get over the line ahead of the FedEx Cup play-offs.
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Sitting down with talkSPORT.com, a typically smiley Hatton jokes it is ‘nice to have a trophy again’ after winning the season’s AON Risk Reward Challenge.
There is something serious to be said about the award, though, not least because it comes with a $1million (£783,345) prize.
It honours the player who played the toughest strategic holes in the lowest accumulated score over the course of the season.
So perhaps Hatton is more level-headed than pundits give him credit for.
“People are very quick to judge in any scenario nowadays,” he told talkSPORT.com.
“Sure, I’ll be pretty quick to lose my head at times. But over the next shot, I know exactly what I want to do.
“People see that as me not concentrating, or whatever else. But I’m fully focussed on what I’m trying to achieve – even if I can be a little bit hot under the collar.”
World no.3 Jon Rahm infamously ran very hot in his early days on Tour and seemed to find more success with a greater grip on his emotions.
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When asked if he needs to change his ways, Hatton said: “We’re all human. We have good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks.
“One day you’ll be the calmest person on the planet but you get out on the wrong side of the bed and you get a bit more frustrated than normal.
“But I don’t think I need to be any different. As long as I’m fully focussed on what I’m trying to do for the next shot, then I don’t feel like I need to change in any way.”
Hatton’s personality and his talent will be a major weapon for Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup in Rome.
The High Wycombe lad has become a Ryder Cup regular, having competed in the last two.
A resounding European victory in France was followed by a historic thrashing from the US in Wisconsin.
Europe haven’t been beaten on home soil for 30 years and Hatton hopes home advantage and a thirst for revenge will inspire them in September.
“I think Europe will have a very strong team,” he added. “The media will play us as the underdogs but we’ll be a very strong team.
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“We’ll have home support. We missed that in Whistling Straits where it was 99 per cent in favour of the US team because of COVID.
“The European fans will make plenty of noise and it’ll be nice to give them something to cheer about.”
He added: “We knew going into that week [in 2021] that it was going to be hostile. We knew if it was quiet on the course then we were doing our job. Unfortunately it wasn’t quiet very often.
“The US team played amazing that week. Even if we got off to a good start in matches, they got off to an even better start. It didn’t go our way and they fully deserved that win.
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“That adds fuel to the fire for us wanting to win it back and it’ll be exciting to play in front of home fans.”
The 2023 PGA Tour play-offs get underway on Thursday at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis, listen to live coverage on talkSPORT 2 at 5pm!
