"I got whipped" - Brain Harman shares why he 'hates' links golf
Links golf is not the easiest type to play, and Brian Harman knows that well. It wasn't as much of a challenge for him last year, but it has been in the past. He's well-versed in that style of play heading into a defense of his Major win last season, but the relationship between him and the play was not always positive.
Harman revealed seriously negative feelings about links golf at first. He said (via BBC):
"The first time I played links golf I hated it - it ate me to pieces. I kept trying to hit lob wedges around the greens and the weather was bad. I got whipped, lost all of my matches."
The golfer had a really rough go at the Open Championship, missing four cuts in a row before he finally adapted and returned to links golf in 2014. Harman eventually broke through with a victory at the Open in 2023.
"I had a stretch where I missed four cuts in a row at The Open and just couldn't quite get it figured out but I knew that I really enjoyed the golf even when I wasn't playing great," he continued. "It's a thinking-man's game. You have to be able to hit every single type of golf shot."
Harman added that in this form of golf, there are different ways to be successful. From his perspective, that's something the modern game doesn't have on a weekly basis, and he would like to see that change. He called it refreshing to play what he described as hard golf that isn't "just a one-stop shop."
Links golf forces everyone to contend with the elements in a much more direct way. There are a lot more penalty bunkers and generally, wind and other aspects (partly due to some coastal locations) make it a much more difficult outing for a lot of golfers. It is a very different style of play than what golfers would experience at most other courses.
Brian Harman addresses viral angry interview
Following a particularly difficult showing, Brian Harman snapped back at the media and gave them a short answer at the RBC Heritage. He had double-bogeyed, and the reporters asked him what happened.
He said he wouldn't walk them through it, asked if that was good, and then thanked them. Afterward, he was able to more calmly reflect on the situation. Harman explained his testy attitude (via Golf.com):
“When I do something that’s not up to par as far as execution on the golf course, I’m upset about it,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in what I do, and I was hot, man. I was hot coming off. I had a really good day and ruined it with the last couple holes, and probably should have just not done the interview in hindsight."
Things would shortly turn around for Harman, who did much better in the final three rounds en route to a T12 and a paycheck of $393,000. That seemed impossible after the first day, but things, and moods, change.