Brian Harman was very nearly the 2017 U.S. Open champion, holding a 54-hole lead and taking an amazing 20+ hole bogey-avoidance streak onto Sunday’s back nine, before an untimely pair of bogeys allowed eventual champion Brooks Koepka to accelerate past him.
Harman still finished T2, which is much better than his previous best result in a major (T26), but it was still a difficult pill for him to swallow after being so close.
Just five days later, however, the recent winner of the Wells Fargo seems to have put it behind him. A 4-under 66 after the first round of the Travelers Championship has Harman in a tie for sixth, just three strokes behind the lead of Jordan Spieth.
Bullets
- In his first post-U.S. Open round of competitive golf, Harman got off to a blazing start, with birdies on his first two holes. He would add four more, along with two bogeys, on his way to a 4-under 66.
- Harman showcased his well-established accuracy, hitting 10 of 14 fairways at TPC River Highlands, and an impressive 15 of 18 greens, which ranked seventh in the field.
- Harman was especially strong on the greens, where he gained 2.918 strokes on the field. He ranks 11th on Tour this year in strokes gained: putting.
Quotable
“I put all that to bed. Once the tournament’s over with, it’s over with for me. Obviously I would have loved to have won last week but my focus is on this week and trying to play well.”
–Brian Harman