Brian

Harman

McIlroy finished dead last in driving accuracy today (3-of-14 fairways) but still managed five birdies without dropping a single shot along the way. “With the golf course being so soft, it’s almost an advantage to be playing out of the rough going into some of these greens because you know the ball is not going to spin. I’m not saying I was trying to aim for the rough, but I was, I think, a lot of the tee shots I was just being super aggressive.” McIlroy was 4.7 shots better than the field average today and 3.7 of those strokes were gained with his short game. McIlroy entered this season with three FedExCup trophies already to his name (most of any golfer) and could be on his way toward adding a fourth to his resume.

The Champion Golfer of the Year arrived at ninth in the FedExCup race. It’s only one (of four) rounds but he’s on pace to improve his standing in the season-long competition. Harman split just 7-of-14 fairways but gained 2.4 strokes on approach (5th) while gaining 3.4 strokes with his short game (+1.6 around-the-green, +1.8 putting). Highlights included a pair of chip-ins. ""I didn’t do much work in between the Open and Memphis. I was pretty rusty last week. Knew I was probably going to struggle. Just tried to manage my expectations, but I hit some good shots last week. Still felt like the nuts and bolts of it were still there.” He’s currently tied in the clubhouse alongside Rory McIlroy. If the co-lead holds then it would be his third time posting a first-round lead or co-lead on the PGA Tour (WIN/2014 John Deere Classic; T41/2014 McGladrey Classic).

Harman entered the week on a runof good results but still opened around 100-to-1 in the outright betting market. He got off to a slow startfor the second day in a row, scribbling bogeys at 2 and 5 but rebouneded with back-to-back birdies immediately after. The putting clinic ran all week with Harman leading the field in strokes gained putting (+11.57 strokes by week’s end). This was his third career win, first in a major, and first since the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He previously had just two top 10s in 29 major-championship appearances. This victory puts him on the Ryder Cup squad and vaults him to 6th in the FedExCup race.

The smooth-swinging lefty has put on a clinic through two days at Hoylake. He’s piped 75 percent of fairways, second best in the field. From there he’s leaned heavily on his short game, gaining 2.3 strokes around-the-green (12th) and a whopping 8.4 strokes putting (1st). He’s made just over 264 feet worth of putts so far. “I’ve had a hot putter the last couple days so try to ride it through the weekend. 36 holes to go, so try to rest up and get ready.” Harman currently holds a six-shot lead on the live leaderboard. This will be his sixth time holding a 36-hole lead or co-lead and second time in a major (2017 U.S. Open; T2 finish).

The smooth-swinging lefty had his ball on a string today. He piped 12-of-13 fairways (T5) and landed 15 GIR (T4). From there, he also ranked top 25 in strokes gained around-the-green and putting. “I finally started hitting it a little bit better. I hadn’t really been putting well, either. I knew my prep this week, I knew I’d putt pretty good just by the way is ball is rolling. The ball-striking has been hit or miss, and today was a good day.” Harman had arrived with missed cuts in three of his last four starts but is off to the races this week in Los Angeles. He had one top 15 on his tournament resume, in seven tries with that one big finish being a runner-up finish in 2017 (Erin Hills).

Harman piped 12-of-14 fairways during the final round. He ranked T3 in fairways hit for the week. He currently sits at 1st in the field for strokes gained off-the-tee. “I would have had a chance to win this week. Just missed a few putts the last couple days. I played great the last two days. Look forward to a couple weeks off and then I’ll be back in Charlotte.” Harman had a pair of runner-up finishes in the fall but this will be his first top 10 of the calendar year. He’s projected to jump from 27th to roughly 20th in the FedExCup standings.

The smooth-swinging lefty piped 10-of-14 fairways and landed 16 GIR. It was a steady day striking and he sealed the deal with nearly three strokes gained putting. Harman played well at the WGC-Match Play but lost that magic last week with a missed cut at the Masters, “I prepared for Augusta as good as I’d ever prepared for it. I was really excited and just laid an egg. So, yeah, you just have to be patient. You just never know when it’s going to happen.” Harman has a long history with Harbour Town including a pair of top 10s (T7/2014, T9/2017).

The lefty opened 2023 in Kapalua and then swallowed seven straight finishes outside of the top 30. That’s certainly not up to his lofty standards but he found some confidence at Austin Country Club where he went 2-1-0 in Group Play before losing in a playoff to Patrick Cantlay. “I feel great, man. I played pretty well at the Match Play. I struggled at the start of the year, but I’m really starting to hit it well. I’m excited for the week.” Harman will be making his fifth appearance at the Masters with a T12 at the 2021 edition being the only notable finish on his tournament resume.

The local resident converted twice from the 10-to-16 foot range for birdies before the turn. The highlight of his round came at the par-5 15th, though, where he stuffed his 244-yard approach inside of five feet for a stress-free eagle. That put him right at the top of the board but eventual winner Adam Svensson birdies two of the last three holes to separate from the field. For Harman, it will be his second straight runner-up finish, vaulting him to fifth in the early FedExCup race. It’s also a new personal best at his home event, previously a 4th-place finish back at the 2017 edition.

Harman started on the back nine and painted a colorful scorecard, with more bogeys (2) than pars (1) on his outward half. But filling in those gaps were six birdies, as the former Georgia standout made nine birdies on the day while moving to 12 under for the week. That left him T-6 and two shots behind co-leaders Patrick Rodgers and Ben Martin as he looks to keep the trophy on St. Simons Island as a resident. Harman has two prior top-10s at this event (T-4 in 2017, T-10 in 2013) and his 25 top-25s since the start of the 2017-18 season are the most of any player without a win over that span.