Brian Harman has taken Hoylake by storm to capture his maiden Major Championship. The Major winners this year, at one point, looked to be four of the biggest names in the sport, with Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka bagging the first two, while Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy looked unbeatable in the build-up to the U.S. and Open Championships.
Instead, we saw two first-time winners from absolutely nowhere. Wyndham Clark captured the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club as Rory was confined to Sunday pars, and now Brian Harman obliterated the field in the rain in Liverpool.
It wasn’t even close, either. You can’t say someone made a charge and threatened him because they didn’t.
What a performance by Brian Harman. pic.twitter.com/zjVtuVaZJP
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 23, 2023
He had the thing wrapped up through 54 holes, and Sunday was just consolidation. The bad weather didn’t affect his game, he was unbelievably solid off the tee and firing into greens, and missed nothing. He was 58-for-59 on putts from within 10 feet. Any golfer and statistician would tell you how incredible this is.
His course management was also excellent. Taking a drop on the par five 5th hole was a smart play, and even though he made a bogey, he followed it up with two birdies.
Mental fortitude and resilience shone through, as Harman followed four of his six bogeys this week with birdies. Twice, he made back-to-back birdies after a bogey. A quick response to a backward step rattles the field and reinforces the fact he has the mental game to win.
A two-time winner on the PGA Tour was probably less than Harman expected after his stellar junior career, blitzing Rickie Fowler (and reducing him to tears) at the NCAA back in college.
In 2009, @HarmanBrian won an intense match against Rickie Fowler to help @UGAGolf advance to the NCAA semifinals.
Harman calls it one of the “turning points” of his golf career. pic.twitter.com/59yFAnSTso
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 22, 2023
He also won the U.S. Junior Am back in 2003, with successful appearances on the Walker Cup teams in 2005 and 2009.
This week, Hoylake wasn’t playing as firm as Tiger back in ‘06, but Harman adapted accordingly and made sure he hit fairways and stayed out of trouble. He was in two bunkers all week and maintained his incredible scrambling and bogey avoidance numbers. The eagle on his 36th hole of the week slammed the door in the face of a few onlookers, and even Jon Rahm’s Saturday 63 didn’t get him within three of Harman.
No one else even touched 9 under, never mind 10, 11, 12, or 13. Harman broke par every day, simplifying the game and showing us how to gain strokes without needing to fly the ball 320 yards in the air.
Yours truly picked Harman out this week, firstly due to his strong run leading up to the event. His steady game suits bad conditions, and his wild-putting stats conquered the field all week. He’s added himself to a great list of Open winners at Hoylake, which includes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
It has been the most dominant major performance in recent memory, and it belongs to the diminutive Georgian – Brian “Hunter” Harman.
Cover Image via SBNation
