Even hecklers couldn’t break Brian Harman at the British Open.
As fans anxiously cheered on fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, Harman became the recipient of “unrepeatable” comments after he entered Sunday with a five-shot lead.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t hear some things that weren’t super nice towards me,” Harman revealed on Saturday. “I hear them, but, at the same time, I don’t try to let that influence the decision I’m about to make.”
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Unflappable Harman drains monster putt | 00:40
None of it seems to carry over as Harman cruised to victory at 13-under par — a six-stroke win — to claim his first major championship.
When asked specifically what he had heard on Saturday, he said: “It’s unrepeatable.”
Harman later recalled one specific exchange that ultimately helped him go on to win his maiden major title.
“After I made my second bogey yesterday (Saturday), a guy, when I was passing him, said, ‘Harman, you don’t have the stones for this.’ That helped,” he said.
“It snapped me back into, ‘I’m good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to go through my process and the next shot is going to be good.’ Just the resilience.”
“… I heard (the boos),” he added. “You had (Tommy) Fleetwood and Rory (McIlroy) making a run. Everybody’s got their team they’re rooting for. If they wanted me to not play well they should have been really nice to me.”
Harman credits his hunting prowess as a way he stays focused in big moments while blocking out the noise.
Day beggars belief with INSANE birdie | 00:43
“The patience and the strategy [of hunting] for sure [has helped],” Harman said. “When I go out turkey hunting, I can spend all day out there. Hunting is something else that I do that makes me lose track of time.”
Fans hoping to see Fleetwood win his first career major will have to continue their wait as he finished at 4-under and well off the lead in a tie for 10th.
Mcllroy would end the tournament -6 after posting a -3 on the British Open’s final day.
Harman only has two PGA Tour wins to his name and had not won since 2017.
His unflappable nature at the British Open will also likely earn him a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.