Brian Harman built a big lead & no one at The Open Championship could track the lefty down.
In his 12th year on Tour, his signature moment finally came. Harman cruised to a six-stroke triumph at Royal Liverpool for his maiden major victory — hoisting the claret jug afterward while smiling ear to ear as heavy rainfall dampened Hoylake.
I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do something like this.
“I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do something like this,” said Harman, who finished at 13 under. “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. I’m 36 years old. Game is getting younger. All these young guys coming out, hit it a mile and they’re all ready to win. Like, when is it going to be my turn again?
“To come out and put a performance like that together... I don’t know why this week, but I’m very thankful that it was this week.”
The moment @HarmanBrian became Champion Golfer of the Year ❤️
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 23, 2023
Six years since his last win and he's now a major champion @TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/TKikAZuulM
The Georgia native, who notched his first win since 2017 at The Open, now has three Tour titles — including a major — under his belt. And soon, he’ll likely add a Ryder Cup to his career resume.
Harman jumped from 20th to third in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, with the top 6 in points automatically qualifying on Aug. 20 following the BMW Championship. But after the biggest win of his life, he's not looking that far ahead.
"I'm going to kick that can down the road a little bit," Harman said. "I'm going to enjoy this. The next thing for me will be (the FedExCup playoffs), what I'll be looking forward to."
From 40 feet! 👏@HarmanBrian extends his lead @TheOpen
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 23, 2023
Watch now: @NBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/SoUTphhcVN
However, after a second-round 65, when Harman’s chances of winning became very real with a five-stroke lead, the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur winner expressed his desire to play in the biennial competition, which will be held this year at Marco Simone GC in Rome, Italy.
“I've spent I don't know how many years chasing a — it always seems it's right there at the end and I end up in between 13th and 18th on the list and I'm hoping for a pick,” Harman said. “It would mean the world to me to play on the Ryder Cup team. I think I would do very well.”
Though Harman may not need a pick this year, as he is on pace to qualify based on points, it helps that he has a strong relationship with Zach Johnson, this year’s U.S. captain.
“(Harman is) a really good friend of mine,” Johnson said at Hoylake a few hours before Harman’s victory. “We live on the same rock, island, if you will, St. Simons Island. I've known him for years. Great family, great wife, great kids. The Harmans are dear friends of mine.
“What is transpiring this week, I would even say last week and the last couple tournaments he's played in does not surprise me in the least.”
And Johnson believes Harman’s game would be a good fit for the U.S. squad in Rome.
“What does Brian Harman do really well? Well, he does everything quite well,” Johnson said. “He's a very good driver of the golf ball and a very, very, very good putter. Then, if everything else is good, then it can be pretty lethal.”
Cameron Young saw first-hand how dangerous Harman’s game is, playing with him in the final pairing on Sunday at Royal Liverpool. Young, though, carded a final-round 73 and finished T-8 in pursuit of his first Tour victory.
Slingin' stingers 🐝pic.twitter.com/ItJPDw1KS3
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 23, 2023
“I've been playing really, really well, so I knew that I had every chance to put myself right in the middle of the golf tournament,” said the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, “and unfortunately just didn't do it today.”
The 26-year-old, however, leaves England with a better chance of making his first Ryder Cup team, jumping from 10th to 8th in the U.S. standings.
Maybe in two months, Young and Harman will be spraying each other with champagne, soaking in Team USA’s first Ryder Cup win on foreign soil in 30 years.
But for now, after slurping a few pints out of the claret jug on Sunday night, Harman will return to the U.S. and celebrate his major win a bit more modestly.
“I bought a new tractor for my hunting place,” he said, “so I'll get home and I'll be on the tractor mowing grass in the next few weeks, so I'm excited about that.”
U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:
- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)
- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open
- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open
- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events
Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.
Rank | Name |
1 | Scottie Scheffler |
2 | Wyndham Clark |
3 | Brian Harman |
4 | Brooks Koepka |
5 | Xander Schauffele |
6 | Patrick Cantlay |
7 | Max Homa |
8 | Cameron Young |
9 | Jordan Spieth |
10 | Keegan Bradley |
11 | Collin Morikawa |
12 | Rickie Fowler |
The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.
For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.