Brian Harman moves past brazen media session, closes “frustrating” RBC Heritage strong

Harman let his frustrations take over earlier in the week with the media, but he put those feelings behind him with a strong finish.

Brian Harman walked off the golf course on Thursday absolutely heated, and understandably so.

He had a good round going at Harbour Town Golf Links, sitting at 4-under through 16 holes. But he finished with a bogey on the par-3 17th and a double-bogey six on 18 to tumble down the leaderboard, settling for a 1-under 70.

The reigning Open Champion then walked over to the interview tent, where he held what will likely be the shortest press conference this year on the PGA Tour.

“I played good except the last two holes,” Harman assessed after his first round at the RBC Heritage.

“Chipped in on 3. Made an eight-footer on 6, I guess. 10-footer on 9. Made a 15-footer on 13.”

Then, a reporter asked Harman to walk through his double bogey on the 18th.

He responded with an emphatic “No,” which ended his session with the media after just 45 seconds.

But three days later, following a stellar 7-under 64 during his final round, Harman admitted to feeling much better after a “frustrating” week.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

“That’s got to be one of the better [rounds I have had here]. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten to [7-under],” Harman said Sunday.

“It’s great to finish off with this one, but I knew the game was there, and I just couldn’t get anything going the first three days, but this will make dinner taste a little bit better for sure.”

Harman made five birdies on the front nine to shoot a 5-under 31 on Sunday. He then bogeyed the par-4 11th but closed with three more birdies over his final six holes to shoot his best-ever score at the RBC Heritage. Before Sunday, Harman’s best at Harbour Town was a 6-under 65, a score he had shot twice during his 15 appearances at this event.

“It’s been a frustrating week because this is one of the places I have circled, that I should really come here and contend every year that I’m playing,” Harman added.

“Just wasn’t my week, and that’s frustrating. But you never know what’s going to happen out there. As impatient as I’ve been all week, it was nice to get in another round and feel some good stuff today.”

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Last week at Augusta National, Harman imploded with an 11-over 47 on the back nine during the first round of The Masters. That led to him missing the cut in his first major playing as a major champion, which only fed into his frustrations earlier this week.

But golf is a frustrating sport that requires patience. Harman knows that, especially on a course like Harbour Town.

“[This course] baits you into making bad decisions for sure,” Harman said.

“You feel like you can attack every pin, but you get on the wrong side of a couple, and you get to two or 3-over par, and you start pressing. It’s a great golf course. That’s what Pete Dye does. He tests your physical skills, your mental skills, and I’ve always really enjoyed the challenge of this place.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.