He won his first major with a six-stroke lead over his pursuers, which has only happened four times in the past 100 years.
He was far from a main face of the event this Thursday, but with a low profile and no big Tour wins, Brian Harman broke logic at the Open and claimed his first big win. He did this while playing fantasy golf, where he even had to resist attempts by world number two and three.
Sometimes on Sundays he looked like an ice man. First because each time he was punished, he responded with discounts. It was like that when he bugged at two and five, then responded with birdies at six and seven. At 13, when he scored his second hole over par, he didn’t hesitate and came back to piece together his card to cheers at 14 and 15.
This formula has always kept Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy away, his two main pursuers during the first moments of a gray day in Liverpool. The rain was present on the course from the moment the new champion set foot on the tee of hole 1 and it did not leave until after the prize-giving.
Neither the weather nor the pressure to win his first major stopped him. He played perfectly, calmly but without caution, closing the day six strokes ahead of Tom Kim, Sepp Straka, Jayson Day and Jon Rahm, who finished second at 7 under.
This is the fourth time in the past 100 years that a Major has been set with such a wide (or greater) advantage between the champion and his closest escort. Prior to this had been achieved by Tiger Woods in August 1997, Louis Oosthuizen at the 2010 Open and Rory McIlroy at the US Open in 2011.
A -13 that will be remembered by the British Open and by Harman, who got his revenge from the big boys after finishing runners-up at the US Open in 2017. That year he also earned what was his last PGA win until today, when he lifted the trophy at the Well Fargo Championship.
From then on, five years passed during which Harman was preparing for this moment. He didn’t score any wins, but he proved to be a reliable player. Always present and on the lookout. They have already qualified for the FedEx Cup qualifiers for twelve consecutive years and also have five of the top ten players this season.
One of the biggest curiosities of the newest winner is that he plays with his left hand, despite being right-handed. Something that he himself explained dates back to his childhood and his first encounters with baseball. “When I started playing this sport, I threw the ball with the right but I hit with the left,” he usually explains. Another is that he is passionate about hunting, taking advantage of every break in the calendar to go into the forest. Today he hunted his great prey. His first major. He waited and prepared for it for years. In Liverpool, he had it in his sights and did not hesitate. It was a perfect shot.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
