Tyrrell Hatton’s priority is to put European points on the scoreboard in Rome this week, but he has no issues in also turning the air blue if the situation requires it.
The 31-year-old Englishman famously has a combustible temper on the course and is well known for often firing off a tirade of expletives after a bad shot or an unlucky bounce.
There is every chance he could be paired with the equally-emotive Spaniard Jon Rahm, but Hatton is confident he has the upper hand when it comes to x-rated vocabulary.
“I don’t understand why Jon doesn’t swear in Spanish. Why does he swear in English? I don’t get it,” said Hatton.
“He would probably get away with it if he just swore in Spanish. Maybe the English language has a bit more punch to it with certain words.”
Asked if he knew any Spanish swear words, he added: “I’d give it a pretty poor attempt. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself or to just upset Jon in front of him.
“I think I would probably win in a swear-off. I’ve got everyone covered when it comes to that.
“Just any time of day, anywhere. No holding back. Doesn’t matter what we’re doing. I’m swearing.”
“Even in a press conference?” he was asked. A jokey “f*** off” was the response before he got up and left, provoking much hilarity.
But, on the serious side, a Hatton-Rahm partnership – combining the considerable talents of the world numbers three and 11 – has the potential to pay huge dividends at Marco Simone this week.
They played together once two years ago in the record 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits, earning half a point against arguably the United States’ strongest pairing of Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler.
“I think we’re both fairly similar, pretty fiery people, but Jon is obviously a fantastic player and naturally brings a great energy,” added Hatton.
“I genuinely enjoy being in Jon’s company. Yeah, it’s always nice, as well, when you’re playing with a great player.
“He does like to call me Ty-Rell, which is an interesting move. He started calling me that at Whistling Straits and I might have actually hit a decent shot after that.
“They were few and far between that week, so hopefully I fare better this week.”
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