Fun fact: Harman’s putting aid is something every amateur can benefit from, too.
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Brian Harman is your Open Championship winner.
As we all let that sink in, it’s OK to ask exactly how we got here — and what the 36-year-old Georgian did better than anyone else during the past four days at Royal Liverpool.
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While Harman did plenty good all week, the most obvious reason that he’s holding the Claret Jug and no one else is? His putting.
Just look at the tweet below, which shows how dominant Harman was during this year’s Open Championship — which includes finishing +2.85 Strokes Gained: Putting during the whole event.
Harman’s the only one that touched -9, -10, -11, -12, and -13.
Straka was the only one who touched -8, and he held that number for 2 holes.
Just a truly legendary performance, and one of the biggest shockers (domination wise) in recent memory in a majors.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) July 23, 2023
Oh, and then there’s this little nugget: Harman made an mind-blowing 58/59 putts from within 10 feet. That’s absurd, and almost makes you wonder what kind of magic he has in that putter of his — because that’s far from normal precision.
For the season, Harman ranks 39th in Strokes Gained: Putting, but that stat is a bit skewed, in my opinion. That’s because he ranks 1st in putts from within six feet, which is where he clearly earned his keep at Royal Liverpool.
While Harman has been good with the putter, he still needed a change for more consistency. He was more than happy to share what that was following his victory on Sunday.
Brian Harman’s putting secret
Prior to the final round on Sunday at Royal Liverpool, Harman was asked about his putting secret. While he was hesitant to reveal anything on Saturday, he was more than happy to share the training aid that helped him run away from the competition — and it’s something that every amateur can benefit from as well.
“Yeah, I found this — it’s a silly looking mirror where it’s got like a little better release pattern,” Harman said.
So why the need for a putting aid, you ask? According to the new Open Championship winner, it’s because he was almost drawing his putts too frequently.
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“I was just kind of cutting my putts too much,” he added. “I spent a lot of time just feeling the ball, almost hitting like a baby draw with my putter, and it’s been really, really good the last month or so.”
As for where Harman got the putting aid (which is available online), he said it’s something he’s had for awhile, but wasn’t necessarily anything he was regularly using.
“I picked it up on the putting green at some tournament over the years,” he revealed. “There’s all sorts of trinkets and different things up until Wednesday, so I saw it, liked it.
“Hadn’t been putting very good this year until last month or so, but I found that in my barn at my house and it made sense, and I started putting well with it.”
So if you’re someone who could use a little help on the putting surface (which is pretty much every golfer), it might be worth taking Harman’s recommendation and see if this mirror can help you knock more in on the greens.
See, major champions are just like us!
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