Open champion Brian Harman admits his six-year tournament win drought was ‘hard to deal with’

Brian Harman feared his potential to win at the highest level belonged in the past after finally ending his wait to celebrate success.

It had been 2,268 days since Harman’s last triumph at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship but that drought, fittingly, ended in downpour as he ran away with the Open, his success every bit as commanding as those here of Tiger Woods (2006) and Rory McIlroy (2014).

Harman made an impression on locals in the Wirral, becoming a regular in the Silk Road restaurant in nearby Heswall and dining on Malaysian steak and sticky ribs before the tournament.

It was unclear what he ate on Sunday night but he intended to pour Guinness out of the Claret Jug. There’s no doubt it would have tasted that bit sweeter as it had been a long time between drinks, so to speak.

‘I honestly didn’t think about winning until I had the ball on the green on 18,’ said Harman. ‘I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do it. It’s just when it takes so much time it’s hard not to let your mind falter, like maybe I’m not winning again.

Brian Harman’s triumph at The Open was his first since the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship

Harman produced a commanding display to run away with the Open at Royal Liverpool

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Harman completed his round and received the Claret Jug in the midst of a downpour

‘I’m 36 years old. The game is getting younger,’ Harman added. ‘All these young guys coming out, hit it a mile, and they’re all ready to win. I was like, “When is it going to be my turn again?” It has been hard to deal with.

‘To come out and put a performance like that together, start to finish, it had a lot of control. I don’t know why this week, but I’m very thankful that it was this week.’