Harman Waggled His Way to the Claret Jug

With a (final-round) score of one-under 70 on Sunday at the 151st Open, Brian Harman dusted the (rest of the-) competition by 6 shots and cemented his legacy as the 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year. Sitting at 2-over for-the-day thru 5-holes of his final-round, Harman gave the early-impression (to his competitors) that he might be shakeable; if only briefly.

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After bogeying the par-5 5th – hole , Harman stood on the 6th tee with two choices (of further action): (either to) let his chasers back-in (-to the tournament) or slam-the-door (on-them). In decisive fashion, Harman righted-the-ship by making back-to-back birdies on holes 6 & 7 and (from-there) he coasted to-victory over (the course of) the remaining 11 holes (of) which included eight (made-) pars, two birdies, and one bogey.

All-the-while , the golfing-surgeon in Harman dismantled his competitors thru the use of an accurate-driver/reliable-putter. As several people pointed out over the (course of the-) past four-days (-of competition), Harman’s uniqueness in his pre-shot routine is (made-) visible thru double-digit waggles as he stands over-the-golf-ball. Despite the fact that numerous Harman-trollers on Instagram likened Harman’s waggling style to that of Sergio Garcia during the early 2000’s (specifically in the 2002 U.S Open) , there’s no arguing that Harman’s preferred-method of waggling works for him ; as did Sergio’s for-him.

Moreover, Harman actually won-the-event while waggling as Garcia waggled his way to an eventual six-shot loss to (winner-) Tiger Woods and a solo-fourth (-place) finish at Bethpage Black within the 2002 US Open. It’s (also) worth noting that Harman’s waggling max’d – out around 14-15 waggles while the 2017 Masters Champion (Garcia) reached as many as 30+ waggles fifteen years before his lone major-win in 2017.

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Switching focuses, Harman’s waggling was done for good-reason and/or an actual-purpose. Thru waggling, Harman is accomplishing the goal of keeping his hands moving as he zones in on his intended-target and prior-to pulling-the-trigger. As the eight-time major-champion and 5x British Open winner, Tom Watson, pointed-out on multiple occasions, opting-to waggle is a great way to stay-relaxed over-the-ball and (also) to ensure that you’re gripping the club’s grip with the proper amount of pressure (or not-too firm or too-light).

Often, I’ll witness amateurs who are choosing-to remain dead-still as they’re over-the-ball which, in turn, leads to poorly-timed/rushed-backswings and bad-shots. While I’m not saying that you need-to waggle to the extent that Brian Harman uses his , you should find a comfortable-setup when you’re over-the-golf ball that allows you to narrow your focus on the task at-hand. If you find yourself staring at the ball for more than a couple of seconds without moving-the-club (-head; around and/or off-the-ground) , you’re running the risk of widening your focus to such an extent where you’re compromising your ability to strike-the-golf-ball in an optimal fashion.

To avoid the pitfalls that are associated with static motion , take a page out of Brian Harman’s book by electing to use/add waggles to your routine over-the-ball.

Again, the uniqueness of the routine-itself as an individual-entity shouldn’t be your primary-focus in the larger scheme of things. If the physical/mental/emotional-elements inherent to your pre-shot routine over-the-ball and behind-the-ball stay-consistent from shot-to-shot, odds-are you’re properly-utilizing your own unique characteristics within your fundamentally-sound pre-shot routine to your utmost-advantage.

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When we’re playing golf; we want to-play with the most confidence that we can possibly muster. If we lack confidence, we often choose-to focus on all of the bad things that can go wrong and/or the infinite-possibilities of negative-results that possibly exist. That, or we widen our focus on too-many factors/variables that go-into every golf-shot that we hit. By adding some waggles or mixing-in/adding some-looks at-the-target; like Harman does , you’re setting yourself up for more success thru training your mind to become one with the target.

Adding waggles and/or looks-at-the-target also frees-up your mind by removing technical thought (-s) and replacing them with instinct. When an actual Tiger who’s living in-the-jungle is on-the-hunt, it doesn’t assume its crouching-position as its stalking its prey by running-through a mental-checklist that’s related-to how it bends-its-knees, how it lowers-its-limbs onto-the-ground , or how its going to move-its-legs (and) as quickly-as-it-can when its time to go-for-the kill.

Rather than consuming itself in needless-thought , the confident-Tiger trusts-its-instincts and goes about his business leading up to-the-kill (and during it-) in a deliberate, methodical, and surgical manner. Then, and only when the time is perfectly-right, the Tiger completes its mission by taking-off (in a sprint) towards-its-prey at lightning-speed and swiftly catching/swallowing-up its prey; without ever having a shred of doubt as to how-the-hunt was going to-go. The Tiger’s prey never stood a chance of escaping its predator’s grasp.

When you’re going for the kill on-the-course, close-the-door on your opponent by thoroughly engrossing yourself in the task at-hand. Over-the-ball, our focus should be limited-to our intended-target and nothing-more or less than that.

Harman didn’t just win his first major-championship at Hoylake (via the 2023 Open Championship). He absolutely annihilated the entire-field; and much like Louis Oosthuizen did when he won the 2010 Open at St. Andrew’s. Although Harman won his Open by just 6-shots over-the-field and Louis captured his by 7, Harman can lean on his superior-putter moving forward as he tries to win his second major-championship. Following his victory at the 2010 Open, the native South African failed in his quest to capture another major-championship title since-then.

In all, Louis’ list of near-misses in majors is most highlighted by his five runner-up finishes (of) which included the 2015/2021 U.S Open, 2017/2021 PGA, and the 2012 Masters. Over the course of Oosthuizen’s impressive-career, his silky-smooth golf-swing combined with his effortless-power/hands-of-gold around-the-greens to make-him a tough-out when he found himself in contention at the majors. Unfortunately, the South African oftentimes fought an inconsistent/untimely putter on weekends within major-championships after his runaway victory at St. Andrew’s. Unlike Louis’ passion-for-his-farm (which interferes with his full-time job) and his unsteady relationship with the putter, Harman works his tail-off and has proven he can putt the absolute lights-out.

More than that , the 5’7” Georgia-Bulldog (Harman) continues to play with a chip-on-his-shoulder (and) thanks to countless people who don’t believe in-his-talent , AND carries himself in a manner which inspires confidence in not only himself by those (who are) around him.

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Most of all, Harman makes big-putt after big-putt. When you putt like Tommy Fleetwood does when he’s in contention , you end-up applying too much pressure to your tee-to-green game in order to fend off your opponents down the stretch of tournaments. With his money flat-stick, don’t be surprised when you see Brian Harman’s name atop-leaderboards in the future. And not in (just) the John Deere Classic….

Harman’s got-the-game, the mind, and the guts to win another major-championship. May we enjoy watching the unpredictability inherent to the beauty of golf (and sports) take its course (in the future).

Cover Image via Twitter