The Open Championship is just around the corner and golf star Tyrrell Hatton has been the target of criticism in the lead-up to the tournament. Hatton, who has previously finished in the top five at the major, has also hit headlines for how he has acted on the course. Whether it’s smashing a club or calling his driver a “piece of s***”, the Englishman’s actions haven’t gone over too well with everyone. The latest to call him out is Ian Woosnam, the former Masters champion and Ryder Cup captain.
Woosnam, who twice finished third at The Open, has been giving his verdict on the current generation of pros. The Welshman dealt with players some years his junior when captaining Team Europe to victory at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club but has strong views on those at the top of the game now. The Welshman admitted to some petulant behaviour in his youth but says he grew out of it. And he delivered a pointed message to the likes of Hatton.
“I don’t like some of the on-course behaviour I see from some of the players, who should realise how privileged they are and not have childish hissy fits,” Woosnam said in an interview with The Telegraph. “I threw clubs when I was young, but realised that it’s not respectful to your partners, the fans or the game, itself.
“I’m not sure if I could keep my mouth shut if I played with Tyrrell Hatton. It was the same with one of the big names in my time – who I won’t name. I refused to sign his scorecard after one round because of his behaviour.”
At the 2025 Open, Hatton indicated he was making a conscious effort to moderate his behaviour to prevent further controversy. “I’ve always said, as long as it’s not affecting my playing partners,” he responded when questioned whether he risked damaging himself through his actions.
“Sure, there’s been times I’ve probably gone too far and you comment on a putt when they’re putting on the same line and then it maybe affects where they’re hitting their putt. Stuff like that, I think that’s part of what you learn as you get more experience, so I do try and avoid that kind of thing. But yeah, as long as I’m not affecting the other guys, then I’m not going to change.”
Those remarks were made at the midway stage of the 2025 Open, with Hatton sitting joint fifth on five under par. However, he ultimately ended the tournament tied for 16th place after closing with a round of 72 as others pulled away at the top.
The 34-year-old has still yet to better the fifth-place finish he recorded at the Open back in 2016. Nevertheless, his finest performance in a major arrived at this year’s Masters, where he finished joint-third, just two strokes adrift of champion Rory McIlroy.
Some 15 years passed between Woosnam’s two third-place finishes at the Open Championship, in 1986 and 2001. His Masters victory came in between those two runs, when he pipped Jose Maria Olazabal to the 1991 title.