Drama at the 151st Open

By Neville Idour

The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake has come and gone amid much fanfare and expectation. So the question is did it deliver. The answer has to be yes on more than one front.

No one could begrudge the misguidedly unheralded left hander, 36-year-old Brian Harman his surprise win where he basically buried the opposition with his precise play in the final two rounds.

Caption: Brian Harman of the United States kisses the Claret Jug which is the trophy that goes to the winner of The Open Championship. Harman won by six shots at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, last month. Photo credit: Charlie Crowhurst, The R&A via Getty Images.

Afterall, his world ranking was 26 entering the tournament and he did finish tied sixth at the 2022 Open. This year his form leading up to it wasn’t too shabby either. Second at the Travellers, ninth at the Rocket Mortgage and 12th at the Scottish Open.

His opening round 67 left him one shot from the lead. A brilliant second round 65 had him five shots clear. As conditions became more challenging at the weekend his third round 69 saw him start the final round still five shots clear of the chasers who included Jon Rahm following his stunning third round 63.

As in the third round two early bogeys again gave thought he may have the wobbles. Apparently a spectator yelled to him in the second round he “didn’t have the bottle.”

That probably stirred him and he just knuckled down and restored his dominant position never giving a sniff to the field. The final six stroke margin was fully justified. Hot favourite Rory McIlroy played well but was never a threat. Jon Rahm left his run too late.

What stood out was Harman’s course management. His game was very much fairways and greens, never going for the risky option. As for his putting he was lethal, missing just one putt under 10 feet during all four rounds. He only had six bogeys in total. Day dropped 10 shots, Rahm nine shots, Straka 13, Grillo 11, McIlroy eight. Therein lies the answer to his accuracy.

Harman has two PGA Tour wins prior to this. They were the 2014 John Deere Classic and the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship and this win may well be a springboard to more success.

With this win he joins a select group of three left-handed winners of The Open. Sir Bob Charles in 1963 and Phil Mikelson in 2013 are now joined by Harman in 2023.

As for the Australasian contingent of 12 players it was great to see Jason Day contending again after a return to form following his health battles in recent times. A first round 72 left him six behind the leader, however 67, 69 and 69 completed a fine recovery to finish tied for second. Cameron Snith and Adam Scott never really tamed the layout finishing tied 33rd. Min Woo lee was near the lead after two rounds but faded to finish T41st.

Kiwi Daniel Hillier was undone by the second nine in the first round where after a promising start he dropped six shots, four of them in the last three holes. A solid second round of two over par was not enough to make the cut.

Ryan Fox scored an almost disastrous 78 first round, following a promising two birdies in the first five holes. Nine dropped shots, including four on Nos 17 and 18, left him almost certain to miss the cut. He dug deep and an excellent five birdie second dig 67 saw him make the cut on the number with a superb birdie on 18 icing the cake. A third round 69 moved him up to 42nd. But the difficult conditions on the final day halted his advance with 74 and finishing 52nd, earning him $US44,100.