Brian Harman, one of golf's ultimate grinders, breaks through with his first major title at the 151st Open Championship
The 151st Open champion is a diminutive 36-year-old Georgian who enjoys hunting and riding his tractor. Brian Harman was far from a favorite at the start of this week at Royal Liverpool. He's spent most of the past decade firmly planted in the PGA Tour's middle class, often contending in tournaments but rarely occupying the spotlight. He hadn't won an event in six years.
But there was a time, years ago, when Harman seemed destined for stardom. And this week along the rain-soaked western shore of England, Harman finally, at long last, had his shining moment.
Harman's dominating six-shot victory on Sunday to earn his first Claret Jug and first major championship was a masterclass in determination, shot-making, and wizardry on the greens. Harman made 10 birdie putts of at least 15 feet this week; he led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting by a wide margin. He didn't hit into one of Royal Liverpool's infamous riveted-faced bunkers all weekend until his final hole on Sunday, where he still managed to get up and down to clinch the championship.
He waited years for this moment as Harman, standing just 5-foot-7, watched as bigger, more powerful players burst onto the tour. He had two PGA Tour wins, but the last was the Wells Fargo Championship in 2017. Since then, Harman had four runner-up finishes (including the 2017 U.S. Open) and 32 top 10s. In 29 previous major appearances, he had made the top 10 just twice. He's made the FedEx Cup playoffs each of the last 11 years.
Harman's game was built on steady consistency. He was constantly looking for that big moment, that big title, that would elevate him into the tour's upper echelon. This week in Hoylake, he finally found it.
Brian Harman took inspiration from his stellar amateur career
Harman never stopped believing he was capable of such a performance. He made the cut at a PGA Tour event when he was just 17. He was the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world. He won the U.S. Junior championship and was the youngest American ever to play in the Walker Cup. Once he turned pro, though, he found the game no longer came as easy.
"I've always had a self-belief that I could do something like this. It's just when it takes so much time it's hard not to let your mind falter like maybe I'm not winning again," he said on Sunday with the Claret Jug perched beside him. "I'm 36 years old. Game is getting younger. All these young guys coming out hit a mile, and they're all ready to win. Like when is it going to be my turn again? It's been hard to deal with. I think someone mentioned that I've had more top 10s than anyone since 2017, so that's a lot of times where you get done, you're like, dammit, man, I had that one. It just didn't happen for whatever reason."
Harman admitted earlier this week he'd spent most of his professional career trying to "rekindle" the mental approach and freedom he had when he was a junior. It's been a long, hard grind to get to this moment, but when the chance finally presented itself, Harman never wavered.
He took control of the Open with a 65 on Friday, taking a five-shot lead into the weekend. He bogeyed two of his first four holes on Saturday to cut his lead to two shots but came back with four birdies the rest of the round to get back to five in front entering the final round. Again on Sunday, two early bogeys gave players such as Jon Rahm hope that he wasn't made for the moment.
The overly-partisan crowd cheered for local favorite Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy; some openly booed and taunted Harman. Then Harman buried a 23-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole. He holed a 40-footer on the 14th. His lead was up to six. The best compliment for a player is that they made a tournament boring and suspense-free. Harman did just that.
Harman finished at 13-under, six shots clear of Rahm, Tom Kim, Jason Day, and Sepp Straka. He became the first player in nearly 90 years to lead by as many as five shots after each of the last three rounds. Only six Americans have ever won golf's oldest major by at least six shots: Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, and now Harman.
Harman's name isn't the biggest in the sport. He's not one of the overpowering players who've come to dominate the tour in recent years. But for this one week, Harman showed that someone who's put in the work, who's grinded for years, who's waited for the opportunity, can have their moment.
If Harman's dominating win came as a surprise, it shouldn't be. It was just a long time coming.
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