Did you catch this horror show of a Masters back 9?
Brian Harman’s opening round at the Masters descended into carnage – and saw the Open champion threaten a tournament scoring record
Well this is relatable. Read it through your fingers, though, because it’s not pretty. Brian Harman suffered the sort of blow up we hackers know only too well.
We might even be chucking clubs and insisting we’d never play again had we endured the Open champion’s calamities in 9 manic Augusta National holes.
In fact, Harman’s opening round back 9 was such a disaster, it came pretty close to the highest ever Masters total. The final scores on the doors? A confidence-sapping 47.
It had all begun so well. Harman arrived at the 10th at two-under par.
A Masters back 9 record?: Brian Harman’s horror show
What the scorecard showed: 4, 5, 4, 7, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 – 47
As the shadows drew in during a weather-delayed first day, so did the clouds around his game. The lefty bogeyed 11 and 12, before returning to finish up on day two and immediately finding the water on 13.
But it was on the final three holes where the wheels really came off. He found the water at 16 and then three-putted after taking a drop for a treble bogey.
He then doubled 17 and 18, after pulling tee shots into the trees on both occasions, to record 47 blows and card a nine-over par 81.
Maybe he just needed the patrons to give him a bid of needle.
There is some consolation. Harman doesn’t hold the record for the worst back-9 in Masters history. That belongs to Charles Kunkle Jr. He signed for 49 as part of 95 he recorded in 1956.
And fair play to him for battling on. A second round 72 didn’t help him make the weekend but certainly showed the qualities that brought him the Claret Jug at Hoylake.
Now have your say
What did you make of Brian Harman’s horrendous Masters back 9? Let me know your thoughts with 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; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
