Tag: Brian Harman

Brian Harman and caddie Scott Tway are ‘like an old married couple’

His older brother, Bob Tway, won eight times on Tour and is known for his iconic hole-out from the sand to win the 1986 PGA Championship.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Brian Harman wasn’t clicking early Friday as the Savannah native made his way around Harbour Town Golf Links, where he entered the second round of the RBC Heritage in a tie for eighth place.

But as he has been doing so consistently all year, Harman battled to keep his score respectable, with his trusted caddie, Scott Tway, there every step of the way.

Harman started on the back nine and was 2-over par through his first 10 holes, but he birdied three of his final eight and made clutch sand saves at Nos. 7 and 8 to shoot 1-under 70.

He put the finishing touches on the round by holing an 11-footer for birdie on No. 9, going through the pre-putt routine with Tway, as he always does. Harman is at 5-under par for the tournament in a tie for 16th as of Friday afternoon.

RBC Heritage: Tee times, TV info | Yardage book

Golf runs through the blood of Tway, whose family name is familiar to fans of the game. His older brother, Bob Tway, won eight times on Tour and is best known for his iconic hole-out from the sand on the final hole at Inverness Club to win the 1986 PGA Championship.

Scott’s nephew, Kevin Tway, is in the field at Harbour Town this week. The Oklahoma State graduate has one win on Tour.

[vertical-gallery id=778099646]

Scott Tway was a great golfer himself, playing on scholarship at Georgia Southern. He was on his brother’s bag in 1995 when Bob Tway won at Harbour Town in what was then called the MCI Classic. Scott Tway has caddied on Tour for 30 years, also working with Scott Verplank and Chris Kirk, the latter like Harman a University of Georgia graduate.

Tway has served as Harman’s caddie since around 2013 but missed Harman’s first win at the 2014 John Deere Classic due to illness. But he was there in 2017 when Harman drained a 28-footer to win the Wells Fargo Championship in Wilmington, North Carolina. Tway, nicknamed “Country,” was the first to congratulate the Savannah Christian alumnus with a hearty high-five.

“He’s got a really calming effect,” Harman said of Tway on Friday. “I tend to run kind of hot and kind of cold, and he’s sort of leveled me out. So that’s really good, and he’s been here a long time and seen it a bunch of different ways, and I just think we do good work together.

“He’s seen me as my worst and I’ve seen him at his worst. At this point, we’re like an old married couple.”

Harman hung tough and didn’t let things get away from him as his family and a contingent of friends followed him.

“This has not been an easy round for him,” said his mother, Nancy Harman. “He’s been scrambling out of the traps and saving par. The last two holes (Nos. 7 and 8) were incredible saves. He’s done a good job holding his position so he can be in it Saturday and Sunday.”

Nancy Harman said her son and Tway have formed a special bond.

“They are like magic together,” she said. I’m not sure what the chemistry is. Scott is very quiet and laid back, except when someone isn’t standing still while Brian is taking a shot. He’s very protective of Brian. They’re great friends and work well together.

Caddie Scott Tway helps Brian Harman read the scenic 18th green Thursday during the first round of the RBC Heritage. (Photo by Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News)

“I used to tell Brian I was worried when he would go to Malaysia and some of the other foreign countries. But he would say ‘Mom, you don’t have to worry. I’ve got Country with me; he’s like my personal bodyguard.’ ”

Harman, who finished in a tie for 12th at the Masters last week, said he made a couple mistakes that cost him Friday, but got the most he could out of his round after that.

“Yeah, it was a struggle, man. It was really windy this morning. It was just hard to make birdies,” Harman said. “I just made one bad swing on No. 16; cost me a bogey, and a bad swing on No. 1. I was glad to play the last eight 3-under and kind of right the ship.

“I was pretty exhausted after last week. I’m proud of the way that I’ve hung in there this week,” he said. “I’ve hit some good shots. If I could just make a couple more putts, I think I can do something this weekend.”

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

Justin Rose lights up white scoreboards with red-number blitz to gain 4-shot Masters lead

Justin Rose went on a blitz to finish his round Thursday at Augusta National to hold a four-shot lead.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Justin Rose was just another name in the middle of the leaderboard late on Thursday afternoon, his score of 2 over through seven holes as dull as the gray skies above.

Then the Englishman who has been so close to slipping on the green jacket lit up the famous white scoreboards with plenty of red numbers.

In a 10-hole stretch ignited by an eagle from short range on the par-5 eighth, Rose was 9 under on a firm and fast course that was causing fits for most everyone else and he soared to the lead after the first round of the 85th Masters.

Rose went eagle-birdie-birdie-par-birdie-birdie-par-birdie-birdie-birdie-par to finish his round of 7-under-par 65 and left the Augusta National Golf Club’s grounds with a four-shot lead.

It was his career best by two shots at Augusta National in 59 rounds and 9.5 shot better than the field average.

Masters: Leaderboard | Photos | TV, streaming info

“I kind of knew 2 over through 7 is not the end of the world, but also knew you’re going in the wrong direction,” Rose said. “I didn’t hit the panic button, but I reset just prior to that and thought if I can get myself back around even-par, that would be a good day’s work.”

Well, it became a great day’s work.

“I just got on a great run and was just trying to stay out of my own way and just try to get it to the clubhouse and keep doing what I was doing,” he said. “I putted the ball beautifully and read the greens unbelievably well. If you had said to me walking up the eighth hole (I’d shoot 65), I’d have said no chance, this course is playing a little too tricky for that. But it’s incredible.  It’s a good reminder that you just never know what can happen out there, just to stick with it on the golf course.”

Four shots back in second were Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama, who is trying to complete a Land of the Rising Sun major double at Augusta National. Last week, 17-year-old Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan defeated Emilia Migliaccio on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the second Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The 29-year-old Hideki Matsuyama, the best golfer from golf-crazy Japan who is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and eight-time winner on the japan Golf Tour, could become the first male player from Japan to win a major.

[vertical-gallery id=778097465]

Two women from Japan have won majors – Hisako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship) and Hinako Shibuno (2019 Women’s British Open).

In at 70 and five shots back were 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, Will Zalatoris (who was ranked 483rd exactly one year ago), 2012 U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Defending champion and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who shattered scoring records en route to winning the Masters in November, opened with a 74.

Johnson was joined at 74 by four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. Others over par included Lee Westwood (78), Jason Day (77), four-time major champ Rory McIlroy (76), reigning U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau (76) and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia (76).

Rose, 40, who finished in a tie for second in 2015 and lost in a playoff to Garcia in 2017, took the first-round lead at the Masters for the fourth time. He did so on a windswept day when the scoring average was north of 74.5. And he did so in his first tournament since back spasms forced him to withdraw in the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational five weeks ago.

Rose has been struggling with his form since golf returned in June following a 13-week break due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. In 19 starts worldwide, he’s mustered just three top-10s. The 2013 U.S. Open winner at Merion, who has 10 PGA Tour titles and eight European Tour victories, has fallen to 41st in the official world golf rankings, his lowest mark since 2010.

Justin Rose hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

But he’s gone back to coach Sean Foley and there were few struggles in Thursday’s first round. In his 10-hole blitz, he made an eagle putt from 10 feet and birdie putts from four, 25, six, three, eight, 20 and four feet.

“I didn’t know where my game was coming into this week,” Rose said. “I’ve been working hard, seeing a lot of improvement on the range. The start was slow. But experience kicked in. I knew it was a tough day.”

Now he has to deal with having the lead, but his expectations will remain the same.

“That’s going to be the trick the rest of the week,” Rose said. “Hopefully you can just run off instinct a little bit. I’ve competed in these big tournaments quite a few times, and I’ve got one of them to my name, but we’re looking for more.

“I think to keep the expectations relatively low even in this situation is not a bad thing for me for the remainder of the week and just keep it one shot at a time, keep committing on this golf course.”

Masters: Japan double at Augusta National in works as Hideki Matsuyama shares lead

Hideki Matsuyama, ranked 25th in the world, is 0-for-31 in major championships as a professional and has not won anywhere in the world since 2017.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Land of the Rising Sun could pull a major double at Augusta National Golf Club.

Last week, 17-year-old Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan defeated Emilia Migliaccio on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the second Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Five days later, 29-year-old Hideki Matsuyama, the best golfer from golf-crazy Japan, grabbed a share of the lead among the early finishers in Thursday’s first round of the 85th Masters.

Matsuyama, a 5-time winner on the PGA Tour and 8-time winner on the japan Golf Tour, signed for a 3-under-par 69 to join Brian Harman at the top of the famous white scoreboards. Matsuyama eagled the eighth hole and birdied the 13th to reach 4 under but bogeyed the 17th.

Masters: Leaderboard | Photos

He could become the first male player from Japan to win a major. Two women from Japan have won majors – Hisako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship) and Hinako Shibuno (2019 Women’s British Open).

“What she did was fantastic,” Matsuyama said of Kajitani’s victory. “I wish I could have seen it. I was playing down in Texas, so I wasn’t able to see her play, but hat’s off to her.

“Hopefully, I can follow in her footsteps and make Japan proud.”

In at 70 were 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, Will Zalatoris (who was ranked 483rd exactly one year ago), 2012 U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

[vertical-gallery id=778097465]

Defending champion and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who shattered scoring records en route to winning the Masters in November, opened with a 74.

“I felt like I played pretty well and got it around pretty well,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m driving it good and putting it good. Just need to dial the irons in a little bit.”

Johnson was joined at 74 by four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. Others over-par included Lee Westwood (78), Jason Day (77), four-time major champion Rory McIlroy (76) and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia (76).

Matsuyama, ranked 25th in the world, is 0-for-31 in major championships as a professional and has not won anywhere in the world since 2017. He has seven top-10s in majors, including finishing fifth in the 2015 Masters and tying for seventh in 2016. He also tied for 11th in 2017 and tied for 13th in 2020.

The putter has been his nemesis – he took 29 putts and three-putted the 17th from 15 feet above the hole for his lone bogey. He hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation and 10 of 14 fairways in regulation.

“The greens were firm and fast,” he said. “It was very important to hit your second shot on the proper side of the pin, and I was able to do that. I felt very good about my round today.

“It’s my 10th year (at the Masters), but I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast. So, it was like a new course for me playing today, and I was fortunate to get it around well.”

Harman tied for third in the Players and tied for fifth in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in his past two starts to earn an invitation to the Masters.

He’s not the tallest player or longest player in the game but he’s been solid off the tee and into the greens and been very sharp on and around the greens.

“I think there’s still plenty of room in the game for a guy like me,” Harman said. “I don’t make any bones about not being able to carry it 300, but I don’t think you have to.”

[vertical-gallery id=778098133]

[lawrence-related id=778096324,778098121,778098102,778098008]

Masters: Brian Harman has stellar first round at Augusta National

After the first round of the Masters Tournament, UGA alum and Savannah native Brian Harman finds success at Augusta National.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

AUGUSTA — In preparation for his third Masters appearance this week, Savannah native Brian Harman laid out a plan for playing Augusta National, stressing that he had to think his way around the course.

On Thursday, the 5-foot-7, 155-pounder from the University of Georgia did just that, posting a stellar 3-under-par 69 on a course that was playing extremely difficult. He was tied for first place not long after finishing his round with a flourish by draining a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 18.

The Savannah Christian Prep alumnus entered the week playing some of the best golf of his career. He was one of the last players to qualify for this 85th Masters — riding a third-place finish at The Players Championship and a semifinal berth in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play last month to break into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earn his invite.

Masters: Leaderboard | Photos

One of the keys to Harman’s 3-under-par round came on Nos. 5, 6 and 7, where Harman got up and down to save par three times. He made putts of 5 feet on the first two, and 5 feet on No. 7, after a drive hooked into the woods.

“I’m happy with where my short game is. It’s something I kind of neglected. I just kind of always took it for granted, and it’s something that I can’t really afford for it to be average — it’s got to be really good for me to contend,” said Harman, who missed the cut here in 2015 and tied for 44th in 2018. “If my iron game can pick up just a little bit, I think I can do OK.

“I feel like there’s still plenty of room in the game for a guy like me,” he said. “I don’t make any bones about not being able to carry it 300 (yards), but I don’t think you have to.”

Harman made birdies on three of the four par 5s, highlighted by a spectacular putt on No. 15. Harman had 212 to the green — a 4-iron. He said he hit a good shot, but with a gust of wind at his back he flew the green. A mediocre chip left him 34 feet for birdie.

He feathered the left-to-right putt with perfect weight, and it snuck into the cup on its final roll.

“I didn’t hit a very good chip, but I made a great putt there,” Harman said. “It was an Augusta special: sidedoor.”

Harman said it may have been beneficial to qualify late for the Masters so he didn’t have time to think too much about a tournament that means so much to him.

“The previous two times I’ve played here I certainly looked forward to it, and maybe prepared too much for it,” Harman said. “So I just kind of came in here and I know the course pretty well, I’ve played the course bunches of times. I love it around it here. It’s just a matter of having my game ready.”

[vertical-gallery id=778097465]

Former Georgia Bulldogs ready for some home-cooking at Masters

Bubba Watson is one of six former University of Georgia golfers in the field this year.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – For most golfers in the 2021 Masters field, the inclusion of fans this April signifies a return of roars. For Bubba Watson, however, he’s anticipating a more specific applause.

“With the fans here it’s going to be a different feel, more excitement, more energy,” said the 2012 and 2014 champion. “We’re going to hear a lot more ‘Go Dawgs.’ ”

Watson is one of six former University of Georgia golfers in the field, joining Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd, Brian Harman, Hudson Swafford and Harris English.

Watson played a practice round Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau and Augusta National Golf Club member Condoleezza Rice, and noted the firmness of the course. Bubba singled out the 17th hole, saying, “Gosh, 17 right now, a couple chip shots that were just – you can hear it.  The ball just doesn’t have the check that we’re used to.”

For Todd, the former UGA standout began Monday by pushing his three children on a swing at their Augusta rental home before playing a practice round with Danny Willett. Todd was the final player to leave the 18th green Monday afternoon.

Masters: Tee times | How to watch | Hole-by-hole overview

“I was pushing my kids on the swing and I looked up at those Georgia pines and thought, ‘Man, this feels like home,’ ” Todd said.

This is Todd’s third appearance at Augusta National. After failing to make the cut in 2015 and 2020, he is confident in his form this April.

“I’m definitely getting more comfortable around here,” Todd said. “No question. This course is playing fast right now, which is different than my first two times. In (2015 and 2020) we got some rain, so this year could be different.”

Kisner echoed Todd’s statement.

“This is my first time over here since January and it’s a lot different than November,” the Aiken, South Carolina, native said. “It’s going to be pretty spicy. If they keep progressing the conditions, I think we’re in for a big weekend.”

Kisner missed the cut in November, and in five previous trips to Augusta National, he has never cracked the top 20. When asked about his chances this week, Kisner said, “I’d love it if that thunderstorm stays away. And if they start mowing down towards the green, that would be a lot easier. The greens are pure. They’re as fast and as firm as I’ve seen them in a long time.”

Kisner teamed up with Harman on Monday for a friendly round against Swafford and English. Kisner and Harman lost the match 1 down.

For Kisner, the round was largely spent assisting his former mates on the ins and outs of Augusta National. This marks Harman’s first Masters invite since 2018, while Swafford and English haven’t competed since 2017 and 2016, respectively.

“I hadn’t realized a lot of those guys hadn’t been here in a number of years,” Kisner said. “They were picking my brain pretty good. I was the elder statesman out there, which was a little bit weird.”

[listicle id=778097731]

U.S. Open: Brian Harman, four others now in Winged Foot field

The initial field of 144 players for next week’s U.S. Open was finalized with five players from the final 2019-20 FedExCup points list.

The initial field of 144 players for next week’s U.S. Open was finalized Tuesday with the addition of the five players from the final 2019-20 FedExCup points list not otherwise exempt. Sebastian Munoz, Brian Harman, Tyler Duncan, Mark Hubbard and Danny Lee were the last ones in.

All players have until 5 p.m. Friday to confirm whether they will play in the championship Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck.

With traditional qualifying deemed unsafe in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the USGA in June issued the list of exemptions that would be used to set up the field this year. There are two locals in the field, Danny Balin, a Valhalla resident who is the head professional at Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island, and Brandon Wu, a Korn Ferry Tour winner who resided in Scarsdale prior to the start of his pro career.

120th U.S. Open field

Byeong Hun An
Abraham Ancer
a-John Augenstein
Danny Balin
Paul Barjon
Daniel Berger
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Keegan Bradley
Rafa Cabrera Bello
Patrick Cantlay
Paul Casey
a-Ricky Castillo
Cameron Champ
Corey Conners
Joel Dahmen
Jason Day
Bryson DeChambeau
Thomas Detry
Tyler Duncan
Harris English
Tony Finau
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Rickie Fowler
Ryan Fox
Sergio Garcia
Lucas Glover
Lanto Griffin
Chesson Hadley
Adam Hadwin
a-Cole Hammer
Justin Harding
Brian Harman
Tyrrell Hatton
Scott Hend
Lucas Herbert
Jim Herman
Lee Hodges
Rasmus Hojgaard
Max Homa
Billy Horschel
Sam Horsfield
Viktor Hovland
Charles Howell
Mark Hubbard
Mackenzie Hughes
Sungjae Im
Shugo Imahira
Ryo Ishikawa
Stephan Jaeger
Jazz Janewattananond
Marty Jertson
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
Matt Jones
a-Takumi Kanaya
Sunghoon Kang
Martin Kaymer
Chan Kim
Si Woo Kim
Kevin Kisner
Kurt Kitayama
Brooks Koepka
Jason Kokrak
Matt Kuchar
Romain Langasque
Danny Lee
Marc Leishman
Tom Lewis
Adam Long
Mike Lorenzo-Vera
Shane Lowry
Curtis Luck
Robert MacIntyre
Hideki Matsuyama
Dan McCarthy
Graeme McDowell
Rory McIlroy
Troy Merritt
a-Lukas Michel
Phil Mickelson
Collin Morikawa
Sebastian Munoz
Kevin Na
Joaquin Niemann
Alex Noren
Shaun Norris
a-Andy Ogletree
Louis Oosthuizen
Adrian Otaegui
a-John Pak
Ryan Palmer
Renato Paratore
Taylor Pendrith
Eddie Pepperell
Victor Perez
Thomas Pieters
J.T. Poston
Ian Poulter
Andrew Putnam
Jon Rahm
Chez Reavie
Patrick Reed
Davis Riley
JC Ritchie
Justin Rose
a-Eduard Rousaud
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Matthias Schwab
Adam Scott
a-Sandy Scott
Greyson Sigg
Webb Simpson
Cameron Smith
Brandt Snedeker
Jordan Spieth
Henrik Stenson
Kevin Streelman
Steve Stricker
a-James Sugrue
Andy Sullivan
a-Preston Summerhays
Connor Syme
Justin Thomas
a-Davis Thompson
Michael Thompson
Brendon Todd
Sami Valimaki
Erik van Rooyen
Ryan Vermeer
Jimmy Walker
Matt Wallace
Bubba Watson
Richy Werenski
Lee Westwood
Bernd Wiesberger
Danny Willett
Matthew Wolff
Gary Woodland
Tiger Woods
Brandon Wu
a-Chun An Yu
Will Zalatoris

Mike Dougherty covers golf for The Journal News/lohud, part of the USA Today Network. He can be reached at mdougher@lohud.com or on Twitter @hoopsmbd and @lohudgolf.

[jwplayer uYnZ0cPe-vgFm21H3]

Brian Harman comes home to play RBC Heritage

Savannah native Brian Harman grew up following the RBC Heritage closely. The PGA Tour stop at Harbour Town is a homecoming for him.

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.

Tee times, TV info | Fantasy picks | Odds, predictions | Rankings

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.

[vertical-gallery id=778049495]

“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.

[jwplayer wWKIpRcp-9JtFt04J]

[lawrence-related id=778036574,778013165,778049574]

Players say the time is at hand for PGA Tour to return safely

The players have spoken, with most agreeing its time for the PGA Tour to return safely.

Too soon?

That’s the question lingering over the PGA Tour’s intent to move, cautiously as it will, toward a restart of the season next month in Texas.

As much of the country slowly opens up and eases shelter-at-home measures – to varying degrees of success and failure – the Tour sent a health and safety plan to players Tuesday that outlines protocols for resumption of play June 11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

Titled “Return to Golf,” the blueprint that is ever evolving – a lengthy plan developed in coordination with health experts in the field of infectious diseases, the Federal Coronavirus Task Force and other specialists and laboratory directors – outlines safety and health protocols for the Tour’s return.

From layered and constant testing to social distancing measures to one host hotel to fans not being allowed for at least the first four events, the PGA Tour is attempting to create a “bubble” of protection for players, caddies, staff, media, volunteers and others that will attend events.

It’s sort of a shelter-at-home standard on steroids.

[jwplayer QvXRtu4e-vgFm21H3]

Players intending to play at Colonial know some question the return date, that it might be premature considering much is still unknown about the highly contagious coronavirus. Risk remains, with criticism at the ready around any dogleg.

But the PGA Tour hasn’t rushed toward its hopeful return despite losing untold millions since the COVID-19 global pandemic halted play March 12. And many players take that with a measure of confidence.

“All of us have to assume some amount of risk to get back to work,” said Kevin Kisner, a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board. “If we sit around and wait on a vaccine that we don’t even know when or how effective it’s going to be, we could be out of work for a year or more.

“So, we’re going to go about with the safest, healthiest way to get back to work and have a quality product for our fans, have a presentable product for TV and help the world with something to watch.”

The PGA Tour hasn’t left every stone unturned – no one can – but it’s turned a lot of pebbles. And the Tour is steadfast in pulling the plug if matters worsen at any time. Still, a sense of uneasiness will be a 15th club in the bag for players.

“Given the state of affairs right now, you have to have a plan,” said two-time major champion Zach Johnson, who is on the players advisory council. “Given that each locality has different regulations and mandates, the PGA Tour is taking everything into consideration. I’m comfortable with it. The bottom line is we can’t mitigate the entire risk. No one can. If that’s the case, don’t go to the grocery store.

“This thing is not going away. You can’t mitigate the entire risk. At some point you have to open up this country. You have to start thinking about some semblance of normalcy. We are just golf. But the beauty of golf is we are outside, we can take social distancing to the extremes, and within our bubble we can create as much safety as we can. I don’t think it’s too soon.”

Neither does Harold Varner III, who is heading from North Carolina to Florida to ramp up his practice and play to get ready for the restart.

“I have to live,” Varner said. “I have to get my life back to normal as much as possible. I’ll do whatever they say, I’ll follow all the rules. We can’t live in fear.

“We have to start to get back up from off the floor.”

Traveling, the players said, presents risk. The PGA Tour will have a charter plane for 170 players and caddies – first come, first serve – and private aircraft will be utilized by some players. Still, many players, caddies and staff will be flying commercially. As well, the possibility of contracting the virus is real.

But the show has to start sometime.

“It’s important that we make the effort to get started again,” Brian Harman said. “It’s important for the country that we all start easing back into work because at some point or another, we have to get over this thing, as awful as it’s been and is. In some way, shape or form, we have to get things moving again.

“I’m very proud of the Tour for trying everything they can to get us back safely and to be one of the first sports to get back going again. I think the image will be if we can get this off without a hitch, it could sort of set the stage for everything to move forward to getting back to normal.

“I want to participate and I want to compete again, but if I feel there is an undue risk that I’m going to catch this thing and get stuck somewhere, then I’ll just go home and wait until it’s a little bit better.”

[lawrence-related id=778044099,778044259,778044233,778044180]

Brian Harman playing golf, hunting, ‘eating nothing but wild game’

Brian Harman is still playing golf. Hunting and fishing are regular activities, too, during Georgia’s shelter-in-place order.

There is no timetable when life’s lessons arrive.

For PGA Tour veteran Brian Harman, one of his guiding principles landed with force when he was 8 and messing around in the backyard with his brother. Shooting at various targets with a BB gun, times were good before Harman accidently ended the existence of a squirrel with one true shot.

Shortly thereafter, his father came out of the house and dropped some wisdom.

“Now you have to take care of it,” he said. “You don’t kill for fun.”

Harman got the message he carries to this day. He cleaned the animal and “we ate the squirrel.” He laughs now about that moment in the backyard but holds true to his heart the words his father spoke that day.

“It built a deep respect for animals,” Harman said. “What they provide. They are a renewable resource. Being able to know where your meat comes from is important to me, being able to take care of the animal once you’ve killed it shows immense respect to the animal.

“I am not a fan of people who kill for sport. I enjoy hunting but I also enjoy taking care of the animal after the fact and helping to feed my family with it.”
Whether in a tree stand, tracking through woods, casting a fishing line or on the first tee facing the best golfers in the world, hunting is in Harman’s DNA.

The singular pursuit that gets the ticker flowing, the solidarity of preparation, the sense of providing all resonate whether he has a bow, gun, rod or golf club in hand.

PGA Tour pro Brian Harman shows off a tripletail fish that he recently caught. Photo by Brian Harman

Heck, he asked his wife, Kelly, to marry him before going out to hunt turkeys, taping the engagement ring inside the pocket of her new camouflage pants. Guy marks his golf balls with dots that look like deer tracks.

He’s darn good with his weapons, too. The former Georgia Bulldog has won two titles and more than $16 million on the PGA Tour and regularly fills his multiple freezers with the fruits of his successful quests. While he gives away a lot of meat to friends and neighbors, if need be, his stock could last two years in the freezers.

Harman, who killed his first deer at age 12, bagged an 850-pound elk six months ago that yielded 300 pounds of meat, much of it still in his freezers. A regular companion of his on hunting trips is Patton Kizzire, so it made sense that in addition to their successful wild turkey shoots the two teamed to win the 2018 QBE Shootout.

His home on St. Simon’s Island on the Georgia coast is the perfect local for Harman and his pursuits. With the global COVID-19 epidemic shutting down his job on the golf course, the waters and forests remain.

“I’ve been eating nothing but wild game this whole time,” Harman said.
He is still hitting balls and playing golf three to four times a week. Hunting and fishing are regular activities, too. For now, Georgia’s shelter-in-place order allows Harman to play golf, hunt or fish.

“I’ve definitely thought about what would happen if the shelter at home orders became more stringent and I couldn’t play golf, couldn’t hunt,” Harman said. “We’ll participate with whatever the state deems is the safest way to combat this. But out in the woods is about as isolated and quarantined as you can get.”

And hunting and fishing benefit his golf career.

PGA Tour pro Brian Harman poses with a turkey that he shot. Photo by Brian Harman

“When I’m hunting, that’s where I get most of my mental work for golf done. I’m always thinking about what I can do to get better,” Harman said. “And both take a lot of patience and both frustrate you to your wit’s end. Both can be extremely rewarding, but you fail way more than you succeed in hunting, and that’s the same way it is in golf. It’s a mind game in the woods and on the golf course, a chess match that challenges every time.”

And if he has to put the clubs, bows, guns and rods away, he’ll be just fine spending even more time sheltered at home with his wife, daughter, Cooper, 4, and son Walter, who turns 2 in July. But he can’t wait to get back out to the PGA Tour.

“I’ve told my wife that I don’t know if I could hunt or fish every single day but I could play golf every day if I had to,” Harman said. “I love golf. I like going out and hitting balls. It’s been kind of nice to go out and practice and hit balls because it’s enjoyable and not because I’m having to get ready for something.

“I’d love to be playing right now because I’m hitting it great, but I can wait until we can play when it’s safe. We will overcome this. Right now is about looking within and focusing on my family.”

And proving for them one successful hunting trip at a time.

[jwplayer kgtH58GT-vgFm21H3]

[lawrence-related id=778029338,777994302]

Instruction: Jack Lumpkin, Brian Harman find success with ‘old-school teamwork’

Brian Harman skipped football practice one day when he was 11 to take a lesson from Jack Lumpkin. All these years later, they’re still together.

Brian Harman skipped football practice one day when he was 11 years old. His mother, Nancy, drove him from their home in Savannah, Georgia, to Sea Island, where he took an hour-long lesson from Jack Lumpkin, a fixture on every list of top golf instructors. Growing up on a golf course, Harman had picked up the game on his own, but he wanted to find out what one of the best teachers thought of his ability.

“He didn’t tell me to get lost,” Harman said. “He told me I was doing well and come back in a few months and he’d check me again. For me, that was like a rite of passage. I started going once every six months, and our relationship just grew from there.”

That initial lesson was equally as meaningful for Lumpkin, who knew talent when he’d seen it and from Harman’s very first swing knew he’d seen something special.

“There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to be a Tour player if he was inclined to do that,” Lumpkin remembered. “After that first lesson, I couldn’t wait to see him again. I used to wait to see his name in my lesson book because I just knew how good he was going to be.”

All these years later, Harman, 32, and Lumpkin, 84, are still together. Their hard work has made Harman a two-time PGA Tour winner, most recently at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship.

“Jack is Brian’s safety net,” said World Golf Hall of Fame member Davis Love III, a fellow Lumpkin student. “He’s like ordering your favorite comfort food at a restaurant.”

Lumpkin played on the PGA Tour in 1958-59, but he was married and had two young kids to think about and accepted a position as an assistant golf professional. He learned the ropes under Masters champion Claude Harmon, father of Butch, at Winged Foot, and was head professional in 1968 at Oak Hill Country Club when it hosted the U.S. Open. 

Lumpkin moved back to his native Georgia and, in 1976, joined the Golf Digest Schools with the likes of Jim Flick, Davis Love Jr. and Bob Toski. He came to Sea Island Resort as its director of instruction on Jan. 1, 1989, seven weeks after Love Jr., his best friend, died in a plane crash.

Lumpkin, the PGA Professional of the Year in 1995, is the type of pro who has forgotten more than most instructors know. Harman describes him as “old-school,” while embracing the latest technology such as V1 Golf, a swing analysis tool, Swing Catalyst, and TrackMan launch monitors for dialing in performance, but never as a crutch.

When Harman won his first PGA Tour title at the 2014 John Deere Classic, Lumpkin was one of the first people he thanked. Their work together has a certain rhythm that Lumpkin calls “guided discovery.” Rather than spoon-feeding a swing fix to Harman, Lumpkin has a habit of subtly mentioning how he likes a move made by a certain player. That player’s swing may just so happen to be on the screen in Lumpkin’s office for them to review. 

“Then he lets me figure it out until it becomes second nature and I own it,” Harman said.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5