Tyrrell Hatton admits how he was behaving away from the microphones on day two at The Open

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Tyrrell Hatton is right in contention to win The Open Championship, with two rounds remaining at Royal Portrush.

Hatton posted a second round 69 to accompany his opening round of 68, and he’s currently sitting three shots adrift of the Open Championship leader, Brian Harman.

The Englishman, 33, is well known for having a fiery temper when out on the golf course, and we’ve seen plenty of frustration from him already at Royal Portrush this week.

Hatton wasn’t happy with the pace of play on day one at The Open, but it improved greatly on Friday.

Those on the PM/AM side of the draw got very lucky this week.

The weather was fairly benign on Thursday afternoon, as it was on Friday morning, with the wind expected to kick up later in the day for the late starters.

Hatton definitely was on the right side of the draw, there is no question about that.

Tyrrell Hatton on how he behaved away from the microphones on day two at The Open

Hatton has one of the worst tempers in the game.

However, he has often spoken about how he needs that outlet in order to move on and focus on the next shot he has to play.

The LIV golfer was typically vocal during his second round at Portrush on Friday.

And he was asked by reporters whether he managed to rein his temper in as much as possible out on the golf course.

He said: “Yes and no. It felt like a pretty frustrating day. Didn’t hit it particularly close on many holes. I missed the green with a lob wedge into 14, which after a perfect tee shot was frustrating, and obviously ended up making bogey. That was a bit of a shame. But it’s been a solid couple of days. I’m happy with a few parts of my game. I’d like to be in the fairway more this weekend and hitting it a bit closer. But we’ll see how we go.

“I don’t know. I was still pretty vocal. Maybe I’m just having to do it away from the microphone.“

He was then asked if he was trying to cheer himself up out on the course.

Hatton replied: “Oh, no. No. It was pretty negative stuff, yeah.“

When asked what he was actually saying to himself, the Englishman said: “No, it’ll get me in trouble.

“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. Although from the outside it looks like I’m completely gone, in my own mind I still know where I’m at.“

Hatton is spot on there. As long as he isn’t bothering his playing partners, there is nothing wrong with him letting his anger out.

Tyrrell Hatton’s record at The Open

Hatton surprisingly has a fairly poor record at The Open Championship.

Here are his results stretching back to 2010 when he made his debut as an 18-year-old:

Just two top-10 finishes for a man of Hatton’s calibre is simply not good enough.

He is a superb ball-striker and his short game is exceptional. The Englishman will be desperate to change that poor record over the course of the next two days at Royal Portrush.

If Hatton manages to post two rounds in the 60s, he may well leave Northern Ireland as an Open champion.