PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Brian Harman did not take to links golf at first.
Despite his record as the 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year and another inspired 65 Friday at Royal Portrush to move into an early share of the lead, the left-hander’s maiden experience with the ancient form of the game did not suggest he was destined to become a links aficionado.
“I played the [2006] Palmer Cup at Prestwick, and no, I didn’t take to it. I played four matches, went 0-4, and I don’t think I made it past like No. 14,” explained Harman, who made it to the 16th hole in one match but did go winless that week in Scotland. “I got worn out. I couldn’t understand because I kept trying to chip with a lob wedge, and I kept trying to chip it into the air. The ground being so firm was so unique that I just couldn’t get adjusted to it.”
His difficult introduction to links golf aside, he did come around in 2014 when he qualified for his first Open Championship.
“I won the John Deere Classic in ’14 and was the last guy in the field at Liverpool that year. I wasn’t super excited about coming over. I just didn’t really fancy my chances,” he said. “After I played that week, I was like, wow, I can’t believe how much I enjoyed that. I love being able to hit these stingers off the tee that go a million yards. I don’t know, I just really kind of took to it.”
Harman finished tied for 26th at his first Open and was trending in the right direction heading into the ’23 championship, with back-to-back top-20 finishes before his breakthrough at Royal Liverpool.
For one of the game’s more accurate players off the tee, links golf allows Harman to tap into an artistic side that is largely unused most weeks at PGA Tour events.
“I think that places like this force you to be a little bit more creative. It’s not so much of an aerial attack. There’s probably 10 different types of clubs, irons, drivers, woods that you can hit off the tee,” he said. “There’s different ways to attack into the green, and there’s almost always a hill that will kind of kill a shot coming into the green. I just enjoy the creativity and trying to think your way around.”
