Tyrrell Hatton has a word to describe his developing status as an elder statesman of Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
‘Mad,’ he says and, as the angry golfer who is so often told he needs to grow up, it is a term that maybe cuts a couple of ways.
He can seem that way at times — a ball of rage who rarely lets a bad shot travel too far before he sends a good insult after it.
But it is also a disservice of sorts to characterise Hatton for his strops, because he stands on the cusp of a third straight Ryder Cup appearance for good reason.
He has never needed a wild card for entry to golf’s greatest event and nor has he required one from Luke Donald for Rome. With seven top-six finishes on the PGA Tour in 2023, it is a thin list of golfers who have more, meaning Hatton has comfortably played his way on to a team in transition.
Tyrrell Hatton says it’s ‘mad’ he’s one of the elder statesmen of Europe’s Ryder Cup team
On his third appearance, he’s ready to replace some of the iconic figures missing this year
‘It will be a different-looking Europe in that sense,’ he says and it remains to be seen just how much.
For the first time since 1997, this most treasured of sporting encounters will feature none of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter or Paul Casey in the blue and gold. Age and the toxicity of golf’s politics has seen to that clearing of iconic figures, but voids have been left that need filling, which is why, at 31, Hatton’s role in the set-up has taken on deeper significance.
‘Yeah, we won’t see so many of the regular faces that you’ve been used to seeing over the 15, 20-plus years,’ he says. ‘What they helped Europe achieve in that period was amazing for European golf. I’m sure they will all be watching the Ryder Cup because for all of us who have been lucky to play in it they are such special weeks. The best golfing experiences of our lives, to be honest.
‘I’m sure they will in part be a bit sad that they’re not around and I’d like to think they will be cheering us on. But the squad we have, it’s a pretty exciting team. The young guys are going to be the future of the Ryder Cup. But for me, when you say ‘elder statesman’, yeah, that’s mad.
‘It’s weird that it’s going to be my third. But I’m looking forward to getting in the team room and being an open book if there’s any questions that some of the rookies will have.’
The feeling of renewal around this team is characterised by an average age of 30 — Europe’s youngest since 1987 — and it is most explicitly seen through the presence of two of their wildcards, 22-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg. It is the latter whose inclusion has generated so much noise and cautious excitement just three months after turning professional.
‘I was actually there for his first pro tournament,’ Hatton says. ‘Canadian Open. Fitz [Matt Fitzpatrick] and I were in a group with him for the first two rounds. You hear the talk about how good he is and watching him up close was very impressive.
‘The way he hits the ball — very long and very straight. That is a very hard thing to do. I imagine he probably feels comfortable with tour life already. There is always a bit of a settling in period but I’m sure we’re probably all in the same boat of thinking he will go from strength to strength.
‘With him there’s the mental side as well. You saw the way he chased Fitz down to win his first title in Switzerland earlier this month? What a way to get your first win.
‘He’s very level-headed. That temperament he has on the course is probably the complete opposite to mine!’
How Aberg handles the unique rigours of the cup could be one of the defining narratives of the week. That furnace can make maniacs of the most placid golfers.
‘I love watching what it brings out of people,’ says Hatton. ‘It is that kind of experience. Shane [Lowry] on 18th at Whistling Straits when we played together was a good one.’
He is thinking of the 10ft putt that the Irishman sank for a one-up victory in the afternoon fourballs against Tony Finau and Harris English. An isolated high in an otherwise heavy defeat for Europe, Lowry would throw his putter to the ground before almost flooring Hatton with a bear hug.
‘Brilliant,’ Hatton says. ‘They are the moments that stay with you. I also really liked the Alex Noren putt on the 18th in Paris in 2018. That was for the win and I can’t really describe the feeling. I just remember sprinting on to the green and we’re all just losing it. You always want that feeling again. Those cup moments live with you for ever.’
The inclusion of Ludvig Aberg has generated a lot of noise and cautious excitement in the team
Hatton has had mixed experiences in Ryder Cup, but he is motivated to put the record right
Hatton’s experiences in the match have been mixed. His 2-4-1 record is split across a great win in Paris and a hammering in Whistling Straits, where his tally of 1.5 from four was Europe’s third best in a walloping. Going into Rome, where Donald’s side will attempt to defend a 30-year unbeaten home run, that defeat still lingers.
‘It is a motivation to put it right,’ he says.
For all the riches in Europe’s top order, led by Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland, it will be an awfully tall order against an American team that has a far shorter tail.
‘Golf is not a game played on a piece of paper,’ Hatton says. ‘I think the US have an amazing team. But they do every two years and we have a fantastic team as well.
‘I don’t think there are any favourites. Anything can happen in in 18 holes of matchplay and if we get the crowd roaring on our side, let’s see where it takes us.’