Tyrrell Hatton: “If I tell myself something positive, it usually comes out wrong.”

Ignoring the cliché of British punctuality, Tyrrell Hatton (High Wycombe, England; 33 years old) shows up an hour late to the appointment, with a rude vocabulary and suddenly in a hurry, as if he has no time for anything else. He grumbles when asked to sit in a secluded spot and doesn't even sit down in his chair, although that seems more due to his aura of energy and health, a guy who with his arms folded could easily pass for a nightclub bouncer. It was looking bleak. But suddenly, when the interview begins, he sheds his skin, attentive and polite, without avoiding the topics and without looking at his watch, a good analogy for his personality: as fierce and moody on the pitch as he is kind off it.

Question: You've finished three times at the Old Course at the start of the year (Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, part of the DP World Tour) and finished fourth at the last US Open. Are you enjoying a good run?

Answer: Yes. I've been playing better golf recently, and it's given me the opportunity to try to win tournaments like the US Open, which was very exciting. Even though it didn't work out for me in the end, I was happy with how I handled everything on the golf course and how I dealt with the disappointment afterward, even giving interviews to the press. Then Dallas came , and I again had a chance to win, but a bogey on the 18th robbed me of a playoff . It was tricky, frustrating, and difficult. So, hopefully, I can play well this week and carry some momentum into next week's British Open.

Q. Have you made any changes to your game recently?

A. I tweaked my swing two weeks before the US Open, and at the 54th in Virginia, I saw something wasn't right. I worked hard to improve it.

Q. What adjustments did you make?

A. It's the beginning of the movement in the backswing , the angle of the clubface. I always hit it from left to right, with a slight fade , and I was missing a lot of shots to the left with a draw [from right to left]. As I started the movement, my clubface was too closed, and I realized I needed to see it more to get the ball flight I wanted. It worked.

Q. Do you work on that with your father, who acts as your coach?

A: Yes, he comes to our house two, three, or four times a week to work on his swing . Since joining LIV, I've had more time in England, which is very nice. But, well, sometimes it can be a difficult relationship because there's no disconnect between the coach and the father... We can't take a vacation!

Q. But do you enjoy golf like you did when you were a child?

R. Phew , that's complicated. As a child, it's a different kind of enjoyment and love than playing. Now it's my job, and of course I enjoy it because otherwise, I wouldn't do it anymore. But I wouldn't say I love it like I did when I was a child.

Q. You often see him on the golf course being very negative and angry…

A. But that's on the field. That doesn't happen off it. Well, it depends on how the day went. I can come out fine or I can be really angry for half an hour. But then it passes.

Q. But what do you say on the course when you miss a shot, or rather, when it doesn't come out as perfectly as you wanted?

A: Very negative things. I've always felt that if I ever tell myself something positive, it usually comes out wrong. That's just how I am. And being that intense fuels my competitiveness. I think it shows that I'm invested in what I'm doing, that I don't lose interest in the day or the tournament. Plus, it's more fun that way.

Q. Although sometimes you break a club or swear at the green … Can’t you control it?

A. Sometimes, maybe, I go too far. It's clearly not cool. It happens in the moment, and if I looked back, I'd definitely wish I hadn't done it. But it's just a heated reaction.

Q. Do you understand why you are criticized for this?

A. It's not a bad thing to be critical of something, as long as you're not more critical of one person than of others who do the same thing. Then it's like, "Oh, that's fine." And in my case, it's a problem... Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to lose sleep over it, and I'm not going to change.

Q. Perhaps the Ryder Cup , where there is more celebrating and shouting, where there is less political correctness, is more in line with your vision of golf?

A. I don't know if that's it. But it's clear that I really like the atmosphere and it brings out different emotions in me than usual. I'm not someone who normally pumps my fists around the greens or interacts very much with the crowd. But at the Ryder Cup, it's different because you're not playing for yourself, but for your teammates and the people who are supporting you. It's something much bigger.

Q. Are you confident of making it to this year's Ryder Cup?

A. I've loved playing the last three editions and I hope to be on the team this year in Bethpage.