Brian Harman says he will celebrate British Open title with spin on new tractor

HOYLAKE – First-time Major champions could be excused for celebrating with some lavish spending – a new sports car, boat or house.

Not Brian Harman. After the unheralded American won the British Open at rain-drenched Royal Liverpool on Sunday, he said part of his US$3 million (S$4 million) prize would be used to pay for his new tractor.

Harman, 36, grew up in Georgia and lives on St. Simons Island, where he has a sprawling estate – spending some of his spare time preying on animals like turkey, elk and boar with a crossbow.

“I’m a bow hunter, no new rifles. I had a nice week a couple weeks ago and I bought a new tractor for my hunting place,” he said, after closing with a one-under 70 for a 13-under 271, romping to a six-stroke win in which he never allowed his pursuers to get close.

“I’ll get home and I’ll be on the tractor mowing grass in the next few weeks. I’m excited about that.”

Harman, whose scuba-diving skills might have been necessary if Sunday’s fourth round had gone on much longer, certainly will not be putting his feet up and bathing in the glow of his new-found status as Major champion.

“I haven’t seen it yet. It’s on order. It’s a 105-horsepower Kybota tractor and it’s going to be a pretty one, it’s orange,” Harman, who plays golf left-handed but does everything else with his right, explained when asked to elaborate.

“Let’s see, we’ve got about 25 acres of food plots that need mowing and, I don’t know how many miles of roads, but I’d call it probably 40 acres total that needs to get mowed,” he said.

“I’ve got a lot of layers, man. I’m like an onion.”

Harman, who has earned almost US$32 million in his career, came close to winning the US Open in 2017 but finished second. His last win on the PGA Tour was that same year.

He said he would drink some Guinness from the Claret Jug before flying home to be with his wife Kelly but declined to disclose how much he had spent on his new wheels. “Oh gosh,” he said, when asked how much a new tractor costs these days. “I don’t know. I haven’t told my wife how much I spent on it.”

He made his big move in Friday’s second round, firing a 65 to surge to 10 under. He then showed his nerve after a wobble on Saturday and it was a similar story on the final day, when he dropped shots on two of his first five holes before hitting successive birdies.

Each time the gap closed, Harman found a response, with his supreme putting serving as the foundation for a dominant victory. He did not three-putt once and found only two bunkers over 72 holes.

Spain’s Jon Rahm (70), Austria’s Sepp Straka (69), South Korea’s Tom Kim (67) and Australian Jason Day (69) were tied for a distant second on seven-under 277 with pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy (68) and Emiliano Grillo (68) a further shot back.

McIlroy, whose fourth and last Major was in 2014, said: “I needed to go out and shoot something 63, 64-ish, but really hard to do that in those conditions... I can’t sit here and be too frustrated.”

Harman, who enjoys links golf, gave a glimpse of his pedigree at the 2022 British Open at St Andrews, finishing joint sixth, and he tied for 12th at the recent Scottish Open, won by McIlroy.

Before the Open, Harman had finished in the top 10 five times in the 2022/23 PGA Tour season and had been runner-up three times, but was not among the favourites at Hoylake.

Harman, whose previous highest ranking was 20 and rose to world No. 10 on Monday, is aware he is not one of the star names in golf, but that does not faze him.

“I enjoy what I do,” he said. “I like the grind. I’ve always appreciated the hard work that golf takes, and for me that’s satisfying enough. I don’t need anyone to think one way or the other about me.”

Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington believes Harman has the “perfect chip on his shoulder”.

“He’s a great player but is ignored just because he doesn’t fit the mould, doesn’t look the part,” said the Irishman. “That chip on the shoulder really drives him. He’s a very determined, gritty person who wants to really prove himself.” REUTERS, AFP