Player Blog: Tyrrell Hatton

In this week’s player blog, Masters rookie Tyrrell Hatton talks about his first experience of Augusta National, synchronised skimming with the defending champion and why victory on Sunday would actually win him his second green jacket...

Augusta National has lived up to all my expectations so far. It feels so surreal to be here. You get so used to watching it on TV, so just driving in on Sunday was strange. It is on such a busy main road and then you turn into this beautiful place. Driving down Magnolia Lane is one of those great experiences, but the whole experience been amazing so far. You’ve obviously seen it so much on TV, but seeing the course yourself in person is just unbelievable. There’s not a blade of grass out of place. The one difference I’ve found is that I couldn’t believe how hilly the course is. You just don’t see those slopes on TV.

I always stayed up late as a kid to watch the Masters.There have been so many great moments over the years. For me, the best one still has to be Tiger chipping in on the 16th. I was only five when Tiger won his first green Jacket in 1997. I can vaguely remember it, but it’s surreal to be here playing 20 years on from that. Playing in the Masters was on my mind a little bit when I won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. I knew on the Sunday that if I won, that would pretty much secure my place in the Masters, so to go out and play well and book my trip here was amazing. To win at the Home of Golf and to get that too was special, and it is so good to finally be here. Getting the Masters Invitation in the post at the beginning of January was so cool. It has felt like the time has gone really quickly because I’ve had such a busy schedule, with so many tournaments, but to be here now is fantastic.

The stat about no rookie winning the Masters since 1979 is an interesting one.

You earn your place here. The best players in the world get in, so even as rookies you can will golf tournaments. I’ll be trying my best this week to do that. Seeing Danny Willett win last year was great for English golf and it was great to have an English winner of the Masters again. It would be nice if there was another this year. We’ve got 11 of us in the field this week. Only time will tell if this will be a great generation, but there are a few of us who have been doing well and hopefully it will continue. I’ve taken a lot of confidence from the way I’ve played in the last couple of Majors. The Open was a big week for me. I had played it four times previously and never made the cut. I put more pressure that week to make a cut, and then to have a good weekend and finish fifth was awesome. To wake up on Monday morning was surreal. It was such a great week walking down the 18th to a packed grandstand gave me so much confidence going into the US PGA knowing I could do well in Majors and I had a good weekend again and finished tied tenth. I know I can do well in these big tournaments now.

I played with the defending champion in practice on Tuesday.

Danny joined me on the 14th tee and it was good to play a few holes with him. We had some fun on the 16th skimming the balls over the water together. That was a cool moment. I also played the back nine with DJ on Monday, which was really good. We had a good chat about some of the holes and it was really helpful. I was in a group with DJ, Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland, so I was certainly the shortest hitter there. I actually already have a green jacket. When I was a kid, about seven years old, I played in the Wycombe Heights Junior Masters and I managed to win it. You got a little green jacket which was cool. I’ve still got it at home – it’s just a nice thing to keep. I’m having the first Tyrrell Hatton Junior Masters on September 2, which I named after that first tournament I won, and hopefully a lot of juniors will enter and it will be a great day and some of them can go on to enjoy the game like I have.

My manager texts me every Monday to tell me my world ranking.I like knowing where I am, but I’m not going to lie, I don’t understand the world ranking too much! As long as I keep moving in the right direction, I will be happy enough. He might stop texting me if I go the other, but hopefully I won’t do that. I’ve been really happy with my form over the last year. It’s hard to put a finger on why that is, but the last nine or ten months have been really consistent. I started working with Ricey (Chris Rice), my caddie, last year and I think that has helped me a lot. We’ve been a really good team and had some good results together, which have given me confidence. Hopefully it will continue.

I show my emotions on the golf course.I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve, but I’ve been working on controlling it. I have good days and bad days like anyone, and I know I need to improve on it, but most of the time it doesn’t affect me. Even going into the next shot, if I’m angry, it doesn’t affect that shot. That is important. Some people like to see passion or anger on the golf course, and others don’t and might criticise it. It’s just the person I am, but I have been working on it to use it positively.

I like to relax as much as possible away from the course.I’m into the kind of things most people my age are - watching movies, listening to music. When you have busy days, it’s nice to just get home, shut down and relax. I like playing X-Box. I’ve played Augusta National on the Tiger Woods’ game, which was fun. My girlfriend finished university last year and graduated with a First Class Honours degree, so she did really well, and it is nice to have her out at tournaments a little more now. I really like being at home, so it was quite difficult leaving before. Having Emily out with me makes it easier and I don’t miss home as much. I think that definitely helps me feel more comfortable out here on Tour.