Brian Harman, an American , has lived near a golf course since he was two years old. He started playing the sport at the age of 10 after watching Tiger Woods score a hole-in-one and coincidentally chatting with the then-PGA Tour champion.
Harman throws his celebratory tee shot on the green of the 18th hole after the final round of The Open on July 23. Photo: AP
At the age of two, Harman moved with his parents to the Southbridge Golf Club residential area in Savannah, Georgia. His father was a dentist and a football fan, while his mother was a chemist and enjoyed track and field, especially running. For the first ten years in Southbridge, despite having the means, Harman paid little attention to golf, primarily because he was passionate about baseball.
Then, as if by destiny, Harman developed a love for golf. In 1997, Harman, then 10 years old, was home from school due to illness. While staying home, he turned on the TV to kill time, and happened to see the PGA Tour Phoenix Open live. He saw Woods score a hole-in-one, with Steve Jones winning the championship. "At that moment, I told myself I had to try and see if I could do that," Harman recounted to Golf Digest .
After the Phoenix Open ended, Harman immediately started taking up golf. One day, he happened to meet Jones and revealed his inspiration: "You might think I'm crazy, but I got into this sport because I saw you win the cup. That must be the result of hard work and dedication." Jones, upon hearing this, encouraged young Harman wholeheartedly.
Harman started practicing from the backyard lawn. When his mother discovered him, she told her husband, "Eric, come and see this!" After observing a few shots, his father realized his son had a talent and provided him with ample opportunities to hone his skills. Harman was allowed to go to the practice court every day. The fee for each practice basket was about $2, so he brought $10, combining it with "breaks" to allow him to practice his technique and hit more shots for a longer period. The court was also generous, occasionally giving him extra baskets.
Seeing Harman's diligent training and also to reduce costs for the young talent, a golf course manager proactively approached his parents and offered a discounted fee of $200 for a year of unlimited playing. Harman's family readily agreed. Thanks to this, the boy progressed quickly, moving from the practice course to the main course and regularly competing in tournaments.
In 2003, Harman won the national junior amateur championship. From then until 2008, he was a star on both the University of Georgia golf team and the national team.
Harman was born right-handed, but when playing baseball he used a "left-handed" swing – swinging the club with his dominant hand and throwing the ball with his dominant hand. In golf, he also swung with his dominant hand and was naturally classified as left-handed. In this style, when swinging the club, the right hand guides the swing, while the left hand generates the main force.
Harman tees off on the 14th hole during the final round of The Open on July 23. Photo: AP
In 2009, Harman began playing professional golf. Three years later, he joined the PGA Tour, participating in 339 PGA Tour events, winning two titles, and accumulating approximately $29 million in prize money prior to The Open 2023. The tournament concluded on July 23rd with Harman winning at the age of 36. He finished with a score of -13, but maintained a dominant lead of six strokes over the runner-up.
With that result, Harman pocketed three million USD and became the third Lefty to win The Open, after Bob Charles in 1963 and Phil Mickelson in 2013.
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