Open champion Brian Harman believes his experience of handling a hostile Hoylake means he is better equipped to chase more major glory.
Harman was heckled by a minority of spectators at Royal Liverpool and even had one persistent offender ejected from the course before completing a comprehensive six-shot victory.
As a Georgia native and graduate of the state’s university, it will be a totally different story at Augusta National – although Harman insisted he would relish proving his doubters wrong again as much as hearing cries of support for his alma mater’s Georgia Bulldogs.
“It seems like I do better when everyone’s rooting against me than rooting for me,” Harman said. “That’s a new challenge.
Brian Harman was heckled by some fans on his way to winning the 2023 Open Championship at Hoylake
“Around Augusta there’s a lot of Dawgs out here, and you hear it all week, and it’s fantastic. So I’ll have to try to channel it. Maybe I’ll just pretend that they’re yelling mean things instead of nice things.
“After The Open I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way because at the Open and then the Ryder Cup, these pressure-packed situations, I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure.
“I live to feel those moments. Like, that’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.
“I think it just unlocks something (in me), like proving people wrong, or just being your back against the wall.
Harman is making just his sixth start in the Masters and has missed the cut in three of his five previous appearances, although he was one shot off the halfway lead in 2021 before fading to 12th.
The 37-year-old is also well aware that fellow left-handers Phil Mickelson , Bubba Watson and Mike Weir have all won the Masters in recent years.
“Lefties have done pretty well around here (but) I think the conditions kind of have to go in my favour,” Harman added.
“It’s a long golf course. I make no bones about that. I don’t make any excuses about how far I hit the ball or make any gripes about how long courses are. I just show up and try to be ready to play.
“The US Open I had a chance to win (in 2017) was the longest one in US Open history. So the length doesn’t scare me. I’ve just got to prepare myself.
“It’s evolved into a really hard golf course. It’s just one of those things where you want to fast-forward and be on the back nine Sunday making lots of birdies.
“But there’s a lot that happens in between teeing off Thursday and that back nine.”
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