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With a dominant performance, Brian Harman has broken through.
Harman, 36, won the British Open Sunday at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England by six strokes in one of the most commanding performances in the history of the championship. He shot a 1-under par 70 on a soggy Sunday to close out his weekend and finish 13-under par for the tournament.
“I feel like that was what won me the golf tournament,” Harman said of his mental resolve during an interview with NBC. “I truly didn’t think about winning the tournament until I hit the last bunker shot. … “Just an overwhelming feeling. I’m over the moon. I’ve worked really hard my whole life, so I’m going to enjoy this one. It’s as cool as it gets.”
Harman, the No. 26 player in the World Golf Rankings, had entered Sunday with only two career victories on the PGA Tour, none of which had come this season. In fact, his last victory had been 2,258 days previous, at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He had five Top 10 finishes this year.
Harman entered Sunday with a five-stroke lead but was shaky at the start, bogeying two of his first five holes. The struggles would be short-lived. He quickly steadied, relying on sure putting on Nos. 6 and 7 to convert consecutive birdies that maintained his lead.
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From that point on, as trailing players struggled simply to keep pace, Harman played with confidence and control, rarely mishitting shots despite the soggy conditions at Royal Liverpool.
Harman made 58 of 59 putts within 10 feet, led all players on fairways hit and found only two bunkers through the entire championship — something that had confounded his competitors throughout the weekend — fewest of any player in the tournament.
Even when he did trip up, he responded with ease; after bogeying the par-3 No. 13, Harman answered with a pair of birdies on 14 and 15. Harman played at his pace and didn’t rush his shots and appeared to be locked in throughout the round, rarely seen on the broadcast speaking to anyone but his caddy. He drove with precision and relied on a steady putter to lower his score.
The most compelling action, frankly, was the battle for second place. Several players were jostling throughout the final round Sunday, trying to close the gap on Harman’s lead. At different points, 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Emiliano Grillo, Tommy Fleetwood and Sepp Straka held sole possession or a tie of second, but it ended up being a four-way tie at 7-under par between Rahm, Day, Kim and Straka.
Harman’s second round 65 on Friday, in which he notched four consecutive birdies from holes No. 2-5 proved to be the difference; after claiming the lead at that point, he never trailed the rest of the way. Harman now claims one of the most prestigious trophies in men’s golf, the Claret Jug, which has been awarded since 1873.
The final two majors of the men’s golf calendar have now produced a pair of first-time major champions in Harman and U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark, who won at Los Angeles Country Club in June.
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