Dominant Brian Harman wins The Open – and the first Major title of his career – as the American produces a faultless final round at Hoylake to finish six shots clear of the chasing pack
Dominant Brian Harman wins The Open – and the first Major title of his career – as the American produces a flawless final round on Hoylake and finishes six shots clear of the chasing pack
- Brian Harman has won the Open after finishing the fourth round at 13 under par
- The American held off late challenges from the likes of Jason Day and Tom Kim
- He shot first into the lead with an excellent performance on the second lap
Brian Harman has won the Open after holding onto a six-shot lead going into the final round over Hoylake.
The American went one under par on Sunday to finish at -13, beating off late challenges from Jason Day and Tom Kim.
He landed a brilliant 40-foot putt to make a birdie on the 14th hole that almost guaranteed victory by returning him to 12 under on a bogey earlier in the round.
Kim was one of the closest to knocking him down after going down four times in the final round, but still finished six shots behind the leader.
Sepp Straka also threatened a final round 69 at times, but finished tied with Kim at seven under.
Brian Harman has won the Open Championship after a rainy tournament in Hoylake
The American kept his nerve on the final day to finish 13 under par and secure his first major win
He comfortably placed 18th on Sunday to finish six shots ahead of the chasing pack
The win gives Harman his first major win, with his previous best finish at the 2017 US Open.
It’s also just the third-ever PGA Tour win for the 36-year-old, and his first since 2017.
He first charged ahead by shooting a classy 65 in the second round, and kept his nerve for the last two days despite a surge from Masters champion John Rahm.
The Spaniard went one shot behind Young on Saturday after a bogey-free 63.
It was a great effort from Rahm, who restarted the second day before working his way into contention for the best round of golf at the Open since 1987.
There was talk of challenging Harman, but the 28-year-old failed to match his previous form on Sunday, finishing joint second out of seven under
Rory McIlroy and Emiliano Grillo were both one shot behind, while Shubhankar Sharma produced an impressive bogey-free final round to finish five under par.
Cameron Young’s local favourite, Tommy Fleetwood, dropped slightly on the final day but finished in the top 10.
Harman stormed into the lead for the first time on Saturday with a stylish 65 in the second round
21-year-old Tom Kim went down four in the final round and finished tied for second
Sepp Straka also finished seven under after a solid performance on the final day
Masters champ John Rahm threatened to shoot the best Open round since 1987 on Saturday, but ultimately couldn’t touch Harman’s lead