The Open Champion Harman: "You Didn't Know This"... "I'm Right-Handed"

Playing Golf Left-Handed Like Mickelson
8-Year-Old Deer Skinning, Owning Hunting Facilities
Rare Record of Two Hole-in-Ones in One Round in 2015

Brian Harman (USA). The winner of the 151st Open Championship, the final major tournament of the year, with a total prize money of $16.5 million. He secured a 6-stroke victory at this tournament held last month on the 23rd at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Wirral, England. It was his first major win and he became the third left-handed golfer to win the Open Championship, following Bob Charles (New Zealand) in 1963 and Phil Mickelson (USA) in 2013.

Harman turned professional in 2009 and joined the PGA Tour in 2012. At 36 years old, he is a veteran who has played 12 years on the regular tour and has accumulated three career wins including the Open Championship. He is known for his consistency, having recorded 29 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour before this tournament since 2017. However, not much is known about him. He is relatively unknown. He is noted mainly for his small stature, standing 169 cm tall. Harman, who has risen to 6th in the FedEx Cup rankings and 9th in the world rankings, has stories that were previously unknown.

'Left-handed golfer' Brian Harman is right-handed. After securing his Open Championship victory, Harman is throwing the ball to the gallery with his right hand.

Harman was very interested in baseball as a child. He wanted to become a baseball player. However, his father opposed it, advising, "You are too short to succeed in baseball." In his teenage years, Harman boldly quit baseball and switched to golf. Eventually, he earned the nickname "Butcher of Hoylake" and rose to become a "Major King."

Harman showed outstanding skills from his amateur days. While attending the University of Georgia, he collected trophies at every tournament he entered. He won the US Junior Amateur in 2003 and was named Amateur Player of the Year in 2005. At the 2007 Porter Cup, he set the tournament record with 22 under par, scoring 258. Representing the United States, he won the Walker Cup in 2005 and 2009, and the Palmer Cup in 2007. As an amateur, Harman made his PGA Tour debut at the 2004 MCI Heritage at age 17 and advanced to the final round at the Buick Championship the same year, finishing tied for 71st.

Like Mickelson, Harman is a left-handed golfer. However, he does everything else right-handed except golf. When he played baseball, he threw right-handed and batted left-handed, a "right throw, left bat" style. After securing his victory on the 18th hole of the 4th round at the Open, Harman threw a ball to the gallery as a fan service, using his right hand, not his left.

Harman is serious about hunting. He hunted alongside his father and learned how to skin deer at age 8, enjoying the sport. He currently owns hunting grounds. After missing the cut at the Masters in April, he relieved stress by going hunting and caught wild turkeys and pigs. Right after winning the Open, Harman said with a big smile, "I recently bought a new tractor to choose hunting land," adding, "I haven't seen the new tractor yet. I need to go there soon, put down my phone, and drive the tractor."

The Open champion Brian Harman is a true 'hunting enthusiast' who even owns a hunting ground.
[Photo by Golf Digest]

His hobby is hunting, and he uses a bow. He does not hunt young animals. He has his own hunting philosophy. Harman said, "I like eating meat, but it's better to catch it yourself than to buy it," and added, "The animals I hunt live freely and die when their time comes." He also said, "I personally process the animals I catch. I either eat them or give them to others. Sometimes I cook and share them." Harman prefers outdoor activities. When he has time, he goes fishing. He also holds a scuba diving certification.

Harman holds a hole-in-one record. In the 2015 PGA Tour Barclays 4th round, he made two holes-in-one. On the 184-yard 3rd hole, he used a 7-iron, and on the 220-yard 14th hole, he used a 4-hybrid to achieve aces. Two holes-in-one in one round is the third rarest feat in tour history.

Harman is a short hitter. His average driving distance this year is 293.7 yards (ranked 144th). His putting is excellent. During the Open, his average putts per round were 26.5, the lowest among Open champions in the past 20 years. However, there is a downside. He has an excessively long pre-shot routine. Even during the Open, he shook his club back and forth more than ten times to relax. He took nearly 30 seconds from address to impact.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.