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Harman prevails in the rain in the Open Championship

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Harman prevails in the rain in the Open Championship

The four majors are over on the 2023 PGA Tour and it provided exquisite drama, ending with Brian Harman (Titleist Pro V1) winning The Open Championship in the pouring rain at Royal Liverpool golf course in Hoylake, England.

It’s always easy to look back in hindsight and see how a longshot such as Harman won. He tipped his hand in several tournaments this season but put it together in grand fashion for four days in various types of conditions to prevail by six strokes at 13-under par. On the whole the weather was quite favorable, at least compared to previous Open Championships until the final day.

Some of the current strs greats of the sport turned it on in the final two rounds, but Harman simply distanced himself too far ahead with steady play and putting his drives in the fairways and avoiding making unforced errors. Too many players for one reason or another landed their shots in the gorse – and I personally love that word – or, worse, the pot-sized bunkers.

Is it true these bunkers were created by sheep grazing on grass off the fairway in the winter months, which is what I read on the website Modern Farmer? It further states that during golf season, an electrified wire kept the sheep from venturing onto the course. Or was it also a product of man-made craters by golf course superintendents with devious minds to make links golf so dramatically different or harder? There’s too many of these craters to suggest it was created by animals alone.

Whatever.

It was interesting to see players chip sideways or backwards to get out of the bunkers conservatively rather than risk trying to take a whack and seeing gravity pull the ball back. From a viewing point of view, the pot bunkers provide an interesting element, although I’m sure the players feel otherwise.

The tournament clearly had to be humbling for Tommy Fleetwood (TaylorMade TP5), playing an hour away from where he lives. He was the home country favorite, but his dream of winning his first PGA Tour event and major all in one and on home soil simply wasn’t to be. He was chasing Harman, but simply couldn’t keep his foot on the gas pedal in the final 36 holes and tied for 10

As for pre-tournament favorite Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5x), he simply couldn’t get near enough to Harman. Look, McIlroy has had a great season and it’s hard to maintain momentum, even after winning the Scottish Open.

Four players tied for second at seven-under par, including Jon Rahm (Callaway Chrome Soft X), who tore up the course on Saturday after lackluster performances in the first two rounds; Jason Day (Bridgestone Tour BXS), who is enjoying a career renaissance; Tom Kim (Titleist Pro V1x); and Sepp Straka (Srixon Z-Star Diamond).

Interesting story how Kim sprained an ankle slipping on wet grass at his rental home after the first round. His foot was bruised up, but clearly it didn’t impact his game.

What is it about Straka playing in the rain? He won his first PGA Tour event, the Honda Classic, last season in the rain.

And Day ended a lengthy five-year winless drought on the PGA Tour with a victory in the AT&T Byron Nelson, also in driving rain.

There’s an old axiom in horse racing about horses for courses, which also applies to golf, too, as some players do well on certain courses. But maybe this applies to weather as well.

WHAT’S NEXT: The 3M Classic is next on the PGA Tour schedule with Tony Finau (Titleist Pro V1) the defending champion. Eleven of the top-50 ranked players in the world are scheduled to play. Some of the notable ones are Kim, Justin Thomas (Titleist Pro V1x), who is going through a season he’d like to forget, Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon Z-Star XV), and Akshay Bhatia (Callaway Chrome Soft X), who won the Barracuda Championship on Sunday in a playoff to record his first PGA Tour event since joining it straight out of high school as a 19-year-old five years ago.

The following week is the Wyndham Championship. The defending champion is Kim.

Wonder if Wyndham Clark (Titleist Pro V1x) will be in the field. As I wrote once before, Wyndham Hotels should be showering Clark with sponsorship money to represent their brand. Isn’t that a natural?

 

 

 
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko is an award-winning writer who has published nine books, three of them bestsellers. He has been involved in sports writing for more than 35 years and has interviewed many superstar athletes. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and enjoys watching golf and playing it.

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