‘Three Pints to Glory’: Tyrrell Hatton Credits Guinness for British Open Charge

Tyrrell Hatton is turning Portrush into a stage for both his pure ball-striking and his unmistakable personality. After opening rounds of 66-69, the 33-year-old Englishman sits at five-under-par, just two shots off the British Open 2025 lead as the championship heads into the weekend at Royal Portrush. Key takeaways • Hatton has hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation through 36 holes, ranking second in the field in strokes-gained approach. • He attributed his controlled aggression to “three pints of Guinness last night and one this morning,” a line delivered with the trademark cheek that keeps galleries glued to him and social media buzzing. • The LIV Golf member is chasing his first major after seven previous top-10s; his best Open finish is T6 at Royal St George’s in 2021. • Saturday’s third-round tee time is 2:35 p.m. local; he will play in the penultimate pairing alongside Australia’s Cameron Smith. Why this run looks sustainable Hatton’s controlled fade is perfectly suited to Portrush’s doglegs, and the forecast calls for steady 12-15 mph breezes that favor his low-spin flight. More important, the fire that once boiled over into club slams has been channeled into rapid reset routines. “I’m pretty vocal, but I’m not going to change—it’s who I am,” he told BBC Sport after round two. Historic opportunity A victory would make Hatton the first Englishman since Nick Faldo (1992) to lift the Claret Jug in Northern Ireland and would guarantee him exemptions into every major until 2030. It would also give LIV its second straight major after Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open triumph. What to watch • Early iron control: Hatton has played the opening four holes in three under; another fast start could erase the deficit before the loop to Calamity Corner. • Body language: the rapid thumbs-ups and self-talk have become crowd favorites; keeping frustration in check has correlated with bogey avoidance (just three so far). • Weather window: rain bands are expected after 5 p.m.; scoring historically spikes by 0.8 strokes once the wind shifts to the northwest. Bottom line Hatton’s mix of laser-sharp irons, relaxed bravado and a course that rewards creative shot-making has him poised for a career-defining weekend. If he maintains the current strokes-gained pace and keeps the Guinness count to a “magic number,” Portrush could witness one of the sport’s most colorful characters finally join golf’s major champions.