AUGUSTA, Ga. – Brian Harman capped off a strong week at Augusta National on Sunday by finishing in a tie for 12th — securing his spot in the field for the 2022 Masters. But the Savannah native wasn’t pleased with the way he closed things out — shooting 4-over on the weekend.
The 34-year-old and his family returned to their Sea Island home late Sunday night, and Harman was up at the crack of dawn Monday to go hunting — as he took a nice turkey to get his week started.
“Consolation prize after a tough weekend,” Harman wrote in an Instagram post with a photo of the prized turkey. “On to @rbcheritage. Big thanks to everyone for the well wishes this past week.”
On Thursday Harman continued his stellar run of play with a 67 in the first round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links.
The left-hander who graduated from UGA and Savannah Christian is in a tie for eighth, sitting at 4-under par.
“It’s what I like to do. I like to get out and spend time in the woods, especially this time of year,” Harman said of his Monday hunt. “Turkey hunting is one of my favorite things to do, and I knew I was going to have to play all week this week, so I’ve got a sweet wife that let me go Monday morning and go get one.”
Harman got things going with birdies at No. 2 and No. 5, the first two par fives on the classic Pete Dye layout. He followed with impressive birdies at No. 8, where he drained a 22 footer, and No. 9 — where he dialed in a wedge to three feet and converted.
“It was tough to start,” Harman said. “The wind was really blowing, kind of picked up right as we teed off, and our entire front nine was very difficult. Kind of laid down on the back a little bit, but I hit some nice shots, made a couple putts, and I’ll go get a nice sleep and get after it tomorrow.”
He said after a tension-filled week at Augusta National, he’s a little more relaxed for the RBC Heritage — but focused as always.
“Obviously it’s not nearly as pressure packed, but still, I feel like this is a golf course that suits me and I need to contend on,” Harman said. “It’s kind of right back after it, and the greens are firm, and the wind was going to blow a little bit, so I knew it was going to be hard mentally. It’s hard coming back after last week. You just put so much into that tournament. But this is a great tournament. It’s a good chance for me, so I was glad I could get out and hit some good shots today.”
His first hiccup of the day came with a bogey on the par-4 13th hole, he got that stroke back with a birdie at the par-4 16th hole.
Harman has four top- 12 finishes in his last seven starts. He has been saying that a revamped short game has been a key in his successful run. He showed that with excellent up-and-downs to save pars on No. 14 and No. 17, the par-3s on Harbour Town’s back nine.
