– If Brian Harman (-8) has climbed up there, provisional leader on his own in the Open while waiting to see how the second round ends in its entirety, and he has done so after signing an impeccable 65 at the Dunluce course of Royal Portrush, then the matter must be taken very seriously with the American.
Too many coincidences are already occurring with what happened two years ago at Royal Liverpool, where the small great man from Savannah, Georgia, took everyone by surprise (he won the Claret Jug by six strokes), and that week it didn’t stop raining, and he doesn’t like playing in the rain…
Too many coincidences, we said. Two years ago, for example, he also started strongly in the first round and took the lead in the second. Two years ago, to get to the main point, his golf seemed conceived before the creation of the world for links play, which is exactly what it has seemed like today. What a way to find the correct line and play with the contours, both from the tee and in the shots to the green, and what a way to read and understand the dense wind of these parts. Two years ago, to finish with the most anecdotal, it also seemed, just like today, that even when he missed a shot, luck was on his side. Be very careful with Harman, then, because all this sounds familiar, and we know how it ended.
– Between that victory at Royal Liverpool and this week at Royal Portrush, the Georgian has played fifty tournaments and has only won one, the Valero Texas Open this very year, but he also has an interesting collection of excellent results during this time, like that second place at THE PLAYERS in 2024. In his recent triumph at the Valero Texas, by the way, he went into the final round with a three-stroke lead over his closest pursuer, Andrew Novak. Harman is very much about catching fire, and when he does, he fears nothing and no one.
– “I love links golf. It’s the purest form of golf there is. It’s not just about hitting a driver as hard as you can and then a 7-iron as high as you can… I feel very comfortable. You have to know how to control the trajectory, and you can’t get frustrated,” said Harman after finishing his second round. So there you have it: watch out for him, as he’s on cloud nine.
– With the second round already finished, just like Harman, we also have Tyrrell Hatton (-5), Rasmus Hojgaard (-5), Robert MacIntyre (-5), and Harris English (-5) very well placed. They all seem, at least, notable candidates, if not outstanding. The Scotsman MacIntyre understood at Oakmont that his thing can (and should) also be the Majors. And Hatton comes with a hunger and a fervent desire to make up for lost time in the majors. He’s a walking danger.
– Rory McIlroy (-3), for his part, is still on the radar after handing in a card of 69 strokes. Today he slightly improved his performance from the tee, although he let some good chances slip to get closer to the lead. The best thing remains his unshakeable attitude. When Rory moves like this on a golf course, it’s advisable not to rule him out until he mathematically can’t assault the lead.
– Another 65 was seen in the morning matches, besides Harman’s. That of Bryson DeChambeau (+1). The Californian may already be too late to fight for the title, but the effort he made today to get into the weekend was formidable. He hit 17 greens in regulation, putted for eagle on two of the three par 5s, made up to seven birdies, just one bogey, and let good chances slip away that could have easily taken him to an under-par total after Thursday’s 78. Bravo, Bryson. Just that: bravo.
– The Californian’s statements right after finishing this successful round of golf, however, cause some astonishment: “I played the same as yesterday. That’s links golf. I executed practically the same shots as yesterday. I didn’t feel like I played differently. Today things just went more in my favour. My wedges were just a fraction better, and that was it. I holed a couple more putts. I really felt like I was rolling the ball well today. There wasn’t much difference. That’s why links golf is what it is.” Look, it’s not that he’s trying to deceive anyone, but maybe that “fraction” of improvement with the wedges was a bit more than a fraction. And maybe that couple of extra putts he holed were actually more than half a dozen…
Be that as it may, Bryson has also acknowledged, as Phil Mickelson did when he won at Muirfield in 2013, that the day he wins an Open he will feel definitively like a complete player and competitor. This guy won’t stop until he achieves it.
