British Open winner Brian Harman credited Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, of all people, for his first major golf victory on Sunday.
Harman came into the final round at Royal Liverpool with a five-shot lead. He finished with a 13-under par 271 and wound up a six-stroke victory over Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Tom Kim, and Sepp Straka, who tied for second. Click here for the final leaderboard.
“I was a wreck last night. I mean, I’ve been a wreck the whole week. But … I kept thinking about something Kirby Smart said, ‘I’m not gonna be hunted; I’m gonna hunt,'” Harman said, according to a tweet by a Golf Channel staff writer.
The 36-year-old from Savannah, Georgia, became the oldest major winner since Sergio Garcia claimed the 2017 Masters at 37.
Smart coached the Georgia Bulldogs to the last two college football championships, including a rout of TCU in last year’s title game.
Harman’s margin of victory was the largest at a men’s major since Bryson DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open by six shots.
“I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do something like this. It’s just when it takes so much time, it’s hard not to let your mind falter, like maybe I’m not winning again,” Harman said, according to CBC.
“I’m 36 years old,” he added. “Game is getting younger. All these young guys coming out hit it a mile, and they’re all ready to win. Like, when is it going to be my turn again? It’s been hard to deal with.”
Harman led the 2017 U.S. Open after three rounds but faltered in the final 18 holes and lost by four shots to Brooks Koepka. Hartman turned pro in 2009 after playing at Georgia and has finished in the top 10 more than 50 times in his PGA Tour career.
The British Open victory was only his third career tournament win as a pro.
“He won by six, so there’s nothing really any of us could have done,” said Rahm, who shot a course-record 63 on Saturday to put himself in contention, per CBC.
As Harman played Saturday, he heard from hecklers who wanted the Spaniard Rahm or Englishman Tommy Fleetwood to win.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t hear some things that weren’t super nice toward me,” Harman said on Saturday, according to the New York Post. “I hear them, but, at the same time, I don’t try to let that influence the decision I’m about to make.”
Harman has won over $29 million in his career and made the last 12 FedEx Cup playoffs.
“Sometimes we see somebody leading a tournament, and you kind of go, ‘Oh, is he going to hang on?’” said two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington, per CBC.
Thanks to some sage advice from Kirby Smart, Harman did it.