Number 151 is in the books. Brian Harman is your ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’. It’s probably fair to say that he’s not the winner that everyone wanted, certainly not for the majority of those who were actually on the ground at Hoylake demanding to be entertained. How dare this relatively unknown American bore the pants off us with his near-faultless golf. The audacity.
When Harman arrived on the first tee on Sunday with a five-shot lead, he was met with a smattering of boos from the galleries. It was the frosty reception, he said, that made him determined to complete the job. “If they wanted me to not play well they should have been really nice to me,” he said in his press conference afterwards. In other words, ‘Have some of that!’
Playing ‘boring’ albeit excellent golf, as some have called it, is not something the likes of Harman, a mere two-time PGA Tour winner, is allowed to do. Only a few players in the history of the game have ever had this privilege, Tiger Woods being the best example. Had it been he who had plotted his way around Hoylake with such devastating success, and in such rancid conditions, we'd have all approved.
The problem for Harman – or rather it could have been – was that there were so many tantalising storylines bubbling away ahead of him: Rahm and Hovland hunting the hunter (he likes using a bow and arrow in case you didn't know); hometown hero and Royal Liverpool member, Matthew Jordan, being cheered on almost deliriously by the locals; Alex Fitzpatrick outshining his more famous elder brother, Matthew, in his first ever Major; Southport-born Tommy Fleetwood desperately trying to win a dream Open in front of his adoring fans; and, of course, Rory McIlroy equally desperate to win that elusive fifth Major.
Harman was never go to be a hugely popular winner, not in these parts at least. The boos were almost predictable. Thankfully, come the time Harman made his way up the 18th, there was only generous applause – the type The Open is renowned for – for the man who was by far and away the best player of the week. The jeers, no doubt fuelled by one or two pints of Singha, were drowned out.
Brian Harman take a bow.. What a class week. For all those that gave him shit from the stands and waggle meters on TV and anyone else undermining his performance. You should be ashamed. He outplayed the very best. Now respect him for that. Waggle away Brian 👍🏼👊🏼👏🏼🏆July 24, 2023
Ian Poulter, who didn’t qualify for this year’s Open, offered the American some kind words on Twitter: “For all those that gave him sh*t from the stands and waggle meters on TV and anyone else undermining his performance,” he said. “You should be ashamed. He outplayed the very best. Now respect him for that. Waggle away Brian.”
Well said. Still, it seems likely that the 151st Open Championship won’t go down as a thriller – and that’s Harman’s fault. When he left the door slightly ajar, he quickly slammed it shut. When he dropped a shot, he rebounded with a great putt. And when the fans heckled him, his resolve only strengthened.
Fair call isn't it? I honestly thought that was one of the flattest Opens for some time. Of course there were some nice lines, there always are, but at the sharp end there was an absence of drama. That shouldn't stop us admiring and praising Brian Harman though. Superb effort. https://t.co/t8q81DxnzVJuly 24, 2023
Perhaps what he should have done was offer the chasing pack a bit more hope. Maybe, had he made a horlicks of the 17th, or pulled a couple out of bounds on 18, we’d have had ourselves that thriller. He could have beaten Rahm and McIlroy in a playoff – and we’d all have gone home far happier having witnessed something special.
The fact is, we did – it was just that no one else could keep up to make for a more interesting finish. As someone also remarked: “At the sharp end there was an absence of drama. That shouldn’t stop us admiring and praising Brian though. Superb effort.”
