How a solid round turned sour late for Brian Harman in opening round of RBC Heritage
Brian Harman methodically made his way around Harbour Town Golf Links for the first 16 holes in the opening round of the 56th annual RBC Heritage Tournament on Thursday — as the defending Open Champion was 4-under par and in a tie for seventh place.
But the former University of Georgia and Savannah Christian star didn't close things out like he wanted to with a bogey on No. 17, followed by a double on No. 18 to card a one-under par 70. The 37-year old sits in a tie for 38th heading into Friday's second round.
After running away from the field to win the Open Championship by six strokes at Royal Liverpool last July, Harman had been playing well this season with three top-12 finishes — including a tie for second at the Players Championship in March.
He was looking good in the first round of the Masters last week when darkness ended his round after the 12th hole at Augusta National. He came back the next day and doubled No. 13. He found the water on No. 16 leading to a triple bogey, and closed out with back-to-back doubles to shoot 47 on the back nine and 81 for the round. He shot 72 on Friday and missed the cut.
On Tuesday, Harman talked about his experience at his sixth Masters during an RBC Heritage press conference.
"I hit a wedge shot into the water on 13, which is the hole that I restarted on, and I just lost my patience. I've been pretty good at being able to kind of dial myself or bring myself back to the moment, and I just...I made that mistake," Harman said. "I wasted the golf tournament, but I was proud of the way I hung in there Friday afternoon and shot a decent score, even after I wasn't going to make the cut. So, what happened? I lost patience and made some bad golf swings and they add up quick over there."
Harman, who won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2003 as a rising junior at Savannah Christian, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of PGA Tour debut at the RBC Heritage in 2004. He played on a sponsor's exemption. He recalled getting the call from tournament director Steve Wilmot and the excitement he felt about playing in a tournament won by Stewart Cink.
"I was at home, obviously still living with my parents, I was 16. Yeah, I got the call, was super excited. I probably came over here and played 15 times after I found out, trying to like -- I thought this was the hardest golf course that I had ever played as a 16-year-old trying to come here and play," Harman said Tuesday. "It was great experience. I didn't play any good. It obviously set in motion my love for this place and how much I love coming back."
Harman, who entered the tournament at No. 10 in the World Golf Ranking, is known for his competitive fire and wasn't in a chatty mood following his finish Thursday — cutting a post-round interview short to hit the driving range with his longtime caddie Scott Tway.
But he'll be back at Friday with a strong contingent of supporters following his round as he tees off with playing partner Sungjae Im at 10:10 a.m.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Brian Harman has rough finish in opening round of RBC Heritage tournament
