Brian Harman says Hoylake hecklers in The Open brought out his toughness

American reflects on overcoming hostile environment to get his hands on Claret Jug last summer

Brian Harman is hoping he can add his name to a list of lefties to win the Masters after proving his toughness in an “uncomfortable place” to land the 151st Open last year.

Up first on the interview schedule for this week’s opening major of the season, the American spent a fair bit of his stint in the Media Building at Augusta National reflecting on his Claret Jug triumph at Royal Liverpool last summer.

“Yeah, obviously a fantastic week. Something I'll remember forever,” he admitted in offering his general thoughts about producing a brilliant performance to finish six shots clear of the field on Merseyside.

Brian Harman pictured during the final round of the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool last summer. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

Harman was quickly asked about what an American questioner termed as a “pretty hostile environment” he’d faced over the weekend, which was partly down to a home crowd hoping that Southport man Tommy Fleetwood was going to land what would have been a hugely-popular triumph after his strong start.

“Well, there were several,” said Harman in reply to being asked to pick out one particular moment that illustrated how tough it had been for him to overcome the Hoylake hecklers.

“The hardest parts for me were the walks in between like a green and a tee box. That's when everyone's right there on top of you, and that's when all the noise is happening. Especially like after a bogey or something, that's when it's really, really tough.

“For example, I bogeyed 13, and walking to the 14th my lead's down to four, you got tough holes coming up. So I'm walking to the 14th tee, and I'm hearing it, hearing it, hearing it. And then I got on 14 and just like flushed a rocket right down the middle of the fairway.

“You get enough of those kind of ‘take that’ moments, where it's like it helps you build confidence. Because if you can go through that gauntlet and then execute a golf shot, it's like well all I have to do is go through my routine and execute this. You know, nothing else matters. So that was almost like a calming sensation there.”

Having been able to be successful in that environment, what has the win done for him as a golfer heading into this season’s majors? “I don't like thinking of it as like an arrival because I've always felt that way,” he insisted. “I don't really like thinking of it that it's like a justification of all the hard work that I've done. It's just like this long process of a career, and that's obviously a highlight and I'm really proud of it.

“But I live to feel those moments. Like, that's like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.”

On the back of his Open win, Harman made a first appearance in the Ryder Cup last September, when, after a disastrous start, the US lost to the Europeans at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome.

“Well, at least at the Ryder Cup it was directed at 11 other guys and not just me,” he said, laughing, in reply to being asked how that environment compared to The Open. “They're similar. I love the passion of the fans. You can't fault people that are that passionate about something.

“I think it's fantastic. It's good for our game. It's not often that we get a chance to play a true away game. Being able to experience that and figuring out kind of how you handle that, you don't get to do that that many times.”

As for his hopes of joining Phil Mickelson (thrice), Bubba Watson (twice) and Mike Weir on that list of left-handers to claim Green Jackets, Harman reckons that he’ll need Mother Nature to be on his side this week and not by being as wet as it was for the final round at Royal Liverpool.

“I think the conditions kind have to go in my favour,” he said. “It's a long golf course. I make no bones about that. I don't make any excuses about how far I hit the ball or make any gripes about how long courses are. I just show up and try to be ready to play.

“But I prefer it to be hot and windy. I feel like that gives me the best opportunity. When it's cold and wet, that's kind of a tough row to hoe for me. I had never really played that great in the rain and wind until I got a little confidence last July, so I feel like I'm prepared for just about anything.”