‘Take that’: Harman ready for Augusta after rowdy Open test
Brian Harman reckons seeing off a hostile Open crowd can help him contend at the Masters.
The Claret Jug winner came in for some treatment from a Royal Liverpool crowd passionately trying to drive a challenge from home favourite Tommy Fleetwood.
But as he looked back on that success last summer, ahead of his 6th appearance at Augusta National, Harman said experiencing that had only given him confidence he could produce his A-game when it mattered most.
“The hardest parts for me were the walks in between like a green and a tee box, ” he explained. “That’s when everyone’s right there on top of you, and that’s when all the noise is happening. Especially like after a bogey or something, that’s when it’s really, really tough.
“For example, I bogeyed 13, and walking to the 14th, my lead’s down to four, you got tough holes coming up. So I’m walking to the 14th tee, and I’m hearing it, hearing it, hearing it. And then I got on 14 and just like flush rocketed right down the middle of the fairway.
“You get enough of those kind of ‘take that’ moments, where it’s like it helps you build confidence. Because if you can go through that gauntlet and then execute a golf shot, it’s like well all I have to do is go through my routine and execute this. You know, nothing else matters. So that was almost like a calming sensation there.”
Brian Harman Masters: ‘I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way’
Asked if he felt more equipped coming to Augusta following victory at Hoylake, as opposed to when he’d previously won at John Deere and at Wells Fargo, he added: “Well, I would certainly hope so. As these things happen to you and as you experience these different things, you should be more prepared.
“You should be more confident at the end of a round than you were when you started it.
“There’s no way I can anticipate what sort of situations will happen. But after The Open I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way because I don’t foresee a situation, you know, The Open and then the Ryder Cup, just these pressure-packed situations, and I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure.
“So I may not execute under certain situations, I might just miss a golf shot, but I would like to think that the pressure wouldn’t get to me quite as bad as it may have at some point.”
He added: “I love the passion of the fans. People that are that passionate about something, I would never fault them for any of that. I think it’s fantastic. It’s good for our game.
“It’s not often that we get a chance to play a true away game. Being able to experience that and figuring out kind of how you handle that, you don’t get to do that that many times.”
Now have your say
Brian Harman Masters: What you make of Brian Harman’s Open reflections and how it might help him win a green jacket? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
