Rory McIlroy and wife Erica woke up with ‘frosty’ heads after London drinks with Tyrrell Hatton ahead of The Open

Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and a host of other golf stars had ‘frosty’ heads after drinks in London ahead of the upcoming Open Championship.

McIlroy joined several of his Ryder Cup pals for a few drinks on July 7 after being invited to Wimbledon to continue something of a tradition before The Open begins on Thursday.

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There was quite the congregation of Ryder Cup stars presentCredit: Instagram/@dianedonaldAlongside McIlroy and his wife Erica were Shane Lowry and his wife, Wendy, as well as Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, accompanied by their partners.

Speaking to Jeff Stelling on talkSPORT Breakfast, Hatton disclosed how honoured he was to be invited to Wimbledon while admitting the night before might have been a bit boozy.

“Yeah [Wimbledon] was brilliant, really special day out. It was nice to see all the guys again,” he told talkSPORT on Tuesday before The Open gets underway this week, live on talkSPORT.

“We had a nice dinner the night before as well, so yeah there was probably a few of who were a tad frosty in the morning!

READ MORE ON GOLF”Wimbledon is a special tournament and to be invited to go into the Royal Box is an honour and me and my wife Emily, we had a great day with the rest of the team.”

There had been friction between McIlroy and Hatton after the latter joined LIV Golf, the controversial golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

McIlroy, a four-time major winner, has been one of LIV Golf’s most outspoken critics in recent years.

However, McIlroy has softened his stance on the organisation in recent times and admitted in February that LIV Golf stars should be allowed a punishment-free return to the PGA Tour if they wished.

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McIlroy was heartbroken after missing out on the US Open by one shotCredit: Getty

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Luke Donald and his wife Diane was invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon on MondayCredit: GettyHe said: “I think it’s hard to punish people. I don’t think there should be a punishment [for returning].

“Obviously, I’ve changed my tune on that, because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties.”

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And the Northern Irishman is back in the UK as he prepares to face Hatton and others at The Open later this month.

McIlroy experienced heartbreak last month at the US Open, suffering a one-shot loss to Bryson DeChambeau that saw him abruptly exit without even congratulating the 30-year-old.

He has not played any competitive golf since but will be looking to defend his Scottish Open title this week before making his way to Royal Troon as he hopes to end a decade-long hoodoo and win another major.

Hatton, Lowry, Fleetwood and Donald were present at Wimbledon on Monday in the Royal Box as they watched Elena Rybakina beat Anna Kalinskaya on Centre Court before Novak Djokovic claimed victory too.

It is not the first time golf supremos have swapped the course for the court with American stars Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth turning up last year.

Read More on talkSPORTThe trio were out and about around London with their wives, drinking a few pints in various pubs before making their way to SW19.

They could be joined by compatriot Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, who has been enjoying holidaying in Europe with his family. He and wife Britanny were at Wimbledon then he watched the Formula 1 at Silverstone while waiting for NFL training to begin again.