HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Savannah native Brian Harman grew up following the RBC Heritage closely — attending the tournament with his family to see the best players in the world — as he developed into one of the top young golfers in the country.
The Savannah Christian alumnus gained national fame by winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in Maryland in 2003 and went on to a notable career at the University of Georgia before turning pro in 2009.
The 33-year-old, who plays left-handed, lives in Sea Island now, a hotbed for golf and home to some of the top players in the world. He’s back on a familiar course this week — playing in his 10th Heritage — but the coronavirus pandemic has changed the scene at Harbour Town Golf Links as this week’s tournament will be played without fans in attendance.
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Harman made his PGA Tour debut here in 2004, playing as an amateur in front of a gallery packed with friends and family. The vibe will be a lot different this year. Harman got a taste of the new world last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, where he shot 8-under par and finished in a tie for 23rd to earn $65,250.
“Having all the friends and family can really help, or it can hurt sometimes. You put all this extra pressure on yourself to try to do well,” Harman said in an online interview with reporters on Tuesday. “With no fans and no family and friends, it’s more just about the golf. So I’m going to try to take this opportunity to try to focus on the golf and try to do the best I can.
“I played a little bit of golf on the mini-tours and played plenty in college with no fans, so it’s not that foreign to us, but it’s definitely preferable to have them out there.”
An avid hunter and fisherman, Harman said he made the most of his time off during the suspension of PGA Tour play due to the coronavirus.
“I was a party to killing a few turkeys, killed one myself. Bought me a new tractor. I’ve been busy. Got the yard looking good. It was a nice break,” said Harman, currently No. 125 in the World Golf Ranking. “It was nice to kind of do some of the stuff during the spring that I always wish I had more time to do.
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“But I’m excited to get back, and my game’s in good shape.”
His best finish this season came in September, where he tied for third at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier in West Virginia to pocket $366,094. He has won more than $16 million in his career.
Last week he played well at Colonial, and Harman can’t wait to tee it up Thursday in a star-studded field that includes 17 of the top 20 players in the world with 114 golfers who have PGA Tour wins, including Harman.
Getting more irons
“I put in a new set of irons that I’d been working on through the break,” Harman said. “It’s always been kind of my big disappointment with my golf game over the years has just been my mid- to long-iron play. So I tried some new irons last week. My strokes on approaches to the green were better than they usually are there. So I’m excited about that.
“I didn’t drive the ball particularly well last week, which is usually one of my strong points. I feel like that will come back sooner than later, and I’m excited to get going.”
Course conditions will be a bit different playing at Harbour Town two months later than usual. But Harman knows the course well and is ready to make adjustments.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever actually played the course during the summertime. Every time I’ve come, it’s been early to try to play it before the tournament or during the tournament, but I tend to enjoy courses that don’t have overseed and are strictly Bermuda.
“I think the fairways will probably be a little bit tougher to hit because the ball’s not going to stop as fast. …. The greens are going to be a little harder to hit, and they’re already small. They should play a little bit firmer. They probably won’t roll quite as good as they do with that real tight overseed. But the greens are small enough and they’re flat enough that I’d imagine guys are still going to make a lot of putts around here.”
Harman played the back nine Tuesday and said he would play the front nine in a Wednesday practice round.
“I haven’t seen it yet. I’m going to go out and play nine this afternoon and nine tomorrow, and I’ll have a better idea then. I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
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