(Reuters) – Tyrrell Hatton expects to be needled by U.S. fans at the Ryder Cup but the fiery Englishman said on Thursday he will try to keep a lid on his emotions at Whistling Straits for the sake of his European team mates.
Hatton, who has said his name would be “Headcase Hatton” if he was a DJ, can struggle to control his temper when things go awry on the course, bending and breaking clubs in frustration.
But the 29-year-old, who snapped a pitching wedge in half at the British Open in July, said being part of a team could help him avoid such blow-ups.
“For me personally, I can’t really do that this week because it’s almost not fair on your partner,” Hatton told reporters.
“Like, you don’t want to then almost essentially bring them down and that’s not what we’re about. That’s not what you do as a team. You’re in it together.”
Hatton, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018, acknowledged that some home fans might try to get under his skin in Wisconsin but said he was more critical of himself than any spectator could be.
“That’s probably very true. I’m not sure exactly what kind of reception I’ll get tomorrow,” Hatton added.
“As the away team, I think we all expect a little bit of — well, not really any cheers. So we all take it in our stride and see how we go.”
Europe are defending champions after winning in 2018 but the players will not have the usual army of fans to support them this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The competition begins later on Friday.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
