There may not have been many people tipping Brian Harman as an Open champion before last week’s major at Royal Liverpool but the American was a deserved winner.
There was huge amount of pressure on him after he built up such a huge five-shot lead at the halfway stage.
But if he was feeling any pressure he didn’t show it over the closing 36 holes at Hoylake.
The weather makes or breaks The Open – and it had a massive impact on last week’s event.
The tough conditions in the final round meant it was almost impossible to shoot a round of 65 to overhaul Harman.
The chasing pack required the left-hander to shoot a high round to give them a chance but he produced an exhibition of solid and steady golf.
He would have gone into the final round knowing a round of level par would have been enough to win the Claret Jug.
That still isn’t an easy thing to go out and execute when he would have known the field and the vast majority of spectators were waiting and hoping for him to slip up.
He gave them a small glimmer of hope when he bogeyed two of the opening five holes but his back-to-back birdies on six and seven showed it was going to be his day.
A Tiger display on the greens
His putting was incredible. Holing 58 out of 59 putts inside 10 foot is what won him the Open.
That is like something Tiger Woods would have been producing in his pomp.
He didn’t look like he was going to miss a putt.
I know some people have been acting as if Brian has just emerged from nowhere but he has been a very consistent player on the PGA Tour for a long time.
He was the world number 26 going into The Open and he was ahead of many of the bigger names in the rankings.
He played well in the 2022 Open and was tied 12th at the Genesis Scottish Open earlier this month so he clearly knows how to play links golf.
The focus going into The Open was always going to fall on the big name players such as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka.
Harman was under the radar but it was no shock to me that he managed to win last week because the strengths of his game are perfectly suited to an Open.
The way he won was what impressed me.
He will now be a certainty for the USA Ryder Cup team. I’m sure Scottie Scheffler, who has had his struggles on the greens, would enjoy playing alongside him in some of the matches.
Brian is a gritty player and his relentless style would make him a fierce player in match-play golf.
He said receiving some stick from some of the crowd at Hoylake spurred him on.
That makes him perfect for a Ryder Cup on European soil.
Whoever comes up against him will have to play well to beat him.
As we get closer to the Ryder Cup, I think the teams are looking very even, especially with the form of the main players from both sides.
One man who I expect has now done enough to make the European team is Sepp Straka.
The Austrian finished runner-up at Hoylake and is now sitting seventh on the world points list.
I would be surprised if Luke Donald doesn’t have him pencilled in for a place in his final 12 for Rome, especially after his recent win at the John Deere Classic.
While Brian and Sepp will be very happy with their week’s work, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood will be reflecting on a disappointing few days.
Tommy, the local lad, was trying so hard to win a major and he made a great start but in the end I think he was trying too hard to win rather than being able to relax and play his own game.
Brian put the chasing pack under immense pressure and forced them to take chances and make mistakes.
They were too far behind at the halfway point and that gave Brian a big cushion when the conditions made scoring tough.
While Rory is still waiting for his fifth major, his finishes in golf’s big four events is incredible.
I’m still convinced Rory will win another major – he is such a good player. I think he’ll win multiple majors in the coming years.
One of the heart-warming stories was seeing Scotland’s Michael Stewart, who plays on the Challenge Tour, do so well.
My nephew went to school with him so I’ve known Michael for years.
I was rooting for him. He was disappointed with his final round but the weather made it very difficult.
For his first major he did very well.
Hopefully that will give him confidence for the rest of his season on the Challenge Tour.
He has kept grinding with his golf through some tough periods but this could be the platform for him to push on.
He will hopefully feel he belongs on the DP World Tour after last week. He went toe-to-toe with the best and was near the top of the leaderboard for a long time.
The experience he gained could be massive for him.
