Brian Harman has earned his first major victory in historic fashion, winning the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on Sunday by a whopping six strokes.
From Savannah, Georgia, to Hoylake, England 🏆@HarmanBrian wins his first major by SIX @TheOpen! pic.twitter.com/UzNuy4Nomi
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 23, 2023
Harman finished the Open Championship at 13-under, easily outpacing four second-place finishers tied at -7. He entered the final round with a commanding five-stroke lead, salting his victory away on Sunday with a one-under 70.
Addressing the crowd while holding the Claret Jug on a rain-soaked 18th hole, the newly minted Open champion thanked his wife and family before previewing his impending celebration.
“First I'm gonna have me a couple pints out of this here trophy, I believe,” Harman said.
Article Continues Below"I'm gonna have me a couple pints out of this here trophy I believe."
Brian Harman after winning his first major championship 😆 pic.twitter.com/mc9sAI5kFE
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 23, 2023
Harman faced more than challenges presented by the course at Royal Liverpool en route to victory, overcoming “unrepeatable” jeering and heckling during Saturday's third round from a crowd rooting hard for playing partner Tommy Fleetwood, an England native. Fleetwood finished tied for 10th at four-under, shooting an even-par 72 on Sunday.
A two-time previous winner on the PGA Tour, it had been six years since Harman last finished atop the leaderboard. His best previous finish at a major came in 2017, too, when Brian Harman tied for second-place with Hideki Matsuyama at the U.S. Open, four strokes behind winner Brooks Koepka.
The 36-year-old native of Savannah, Georgia is the oldest first major champion since Sergio Garcia won the Masters at 37 in 2017.