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Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Harman keeps calm in the winds to clinch Texas Open
Harman keeps calm in the winds to clinch Texas Open Brian Harman won the Texas Open in San Antonio on Sunday. (Jonathan Bachman) Brian Harman kept steady in the wind as he held on to his three-shot lead to win the PGA Tour Texas Open in San Antonio on Sunday. The former British Open champion had a late wobble, with back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th but his closest challenger Andrew Novak was unable to take advantage. Advertisement Novak left birdie putts on the 16th and 17th short and Harman maintained his calm to make par on the final two holes and finish with a three-over-par 75 on a day when many struggled with conditions. It was the 38-year-old American's first tournament win since triumphing in the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Harman had grabbed the lead during Friday's second round when he shot a six-under 66. The gusting winds at TPC San Antonio's Oaks Course made such a round tough to even consider on Sunday however and he suffered bogeys on the fourth and sixth holes and a double-bogey on the ninth where he suffered a penalty after driving into the native area. Advertisement But he steadied his round with birdies on the 12th and 15th, giving him enough of a cushion to survive his later troubles and emerge as comfortable winner. Ryan Gerard, who shot a three-under 69 finished runner-up with Novak ending tied for third with Maverick McNealy. Harman said he had been dealing with an emotional situation during the week as a family friend who saved his young son from drowning in October was struggling with her health. Cathy Dowdy was seriously injured in the October 13 incident at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida and was in a coma as a result of her injuries. "I'm playing with a heavy heart today," said Harman after his victory, "Miss Kathy is not doing so good and I am just thinking about her all day". Advertisement Harman said it had been difficult to deal with the weather in the pressure filled final round. "I am just so proud of the way I handled these conditions. The golf course gave me all I wanted today and I am just happy to come out here on top," he added. Novak conceded he had struggled with his putting when it came down to the final holes. "I could never figure out the greens. I felt like the greens were like way slower today for some reason. I could not get a ball to the hole and...I can't even count how many putts I left short, and I don't know why they were slow today. I felt like I could not get the ball to the hole," he said. sev/rcw
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Harman leads by three at Texas Open
Brian Harman will defend a three-shot lead in the final round of the Texas Open in San Antonio as he looks for his first win since 2023 (Mike Mulholland) Former British Open champion Brian Harman battled through a rocky start to shoot an even-par 72 and take a three-shot lead after the third round of the PGA Tour Texas Open in San Antonio on Saturday. Harman, who started the day four shots clear of the field after a six-under-par 66 on Friday, was in trouble early on at TPC San Antonio, making bogeys on his second and fourth holes. Advertisement But the 38-year-old American -- who is chasing his first tournament win since triumphing in the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool -- regrouped impressively to stop the bleeding. He rattled off nine straight pars before making his first birdie of the day, brilliantly chipping out of a greenside bunker on the par-five 14th to within inches of the cup to leave himself with a tap-in. After two more pars, Harman then dropped to level par for the round with a birdie on the par-four 17th, with another sublime bunker shot setting up a five-footer that he duly rolled in. Harman had an opportunity to dip under par for the round on the 18th green, but rolled his 12-foot birdie putt just past the cup. Advertisement That left him alone on 12 under through 54 holes and in pole position to claim the fourth PGA Tour win of his career. "I knew I'd get some birdie chances on that back nine, just had to kind of survive the front, there's some really tough holes," Harman said afterwards. "Got out of position a few times off the tee and really had to scramble." Harman is bracing for a dog-fight on Sunday as he attempts to close out victory. "I know that I can do it, but the guys that are behind me, they're hungry, man, they're coming," Harman said. "A lot of guys that haven't won, guys that have won a couple times, good players, so I'll have to play really well tomorrow." Advertisement Harman leads by three from Andrew Novak, who moved to nine under after carding a three-under-par 69. Novak's 69 came courtesy of a huge slice of good fortune at the par-three 16th, where his five-iron tee shot flew cannoned off a spectator grandstand and span back onto the green to present a short birdie putt. "I didn't expect it to kick back and go on the green, that was obviously ridiculous," Novak said afterwards. "Not the best swing and sometimes golf rewards you." Tom Hoge is a further shot back on eight under after his four-under-par 68, while Keith Mitchell five off the lead following a one-over-par 73. Finland's Sami Valimaki and Japan's Ryo Hisatsune are on six under alongside Chad Ramey. rcw/sev
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Harman goes four clear at Texas Open
American Brian Harman plays a tee shot on the way to the 36-hole lead at the US PGA Tour Texas Open (Mike Mulholland) Former British Open champion Brian Harman had eight birdies in a six-under-par 66 to surge to a four-shot lead on Friday midway through the PGA Tour Texas Open in San Antonio. Harman, chasing his first victory since his 2023 Open Championship triumph at Royal Liverpool, built a 12-under-par total at TPC San Antonio, and was four clear of fellow American Keith Mitchell, who carded an even-par 72. Advertisement Harman, who won his lone major title by six shots, said past experience of playing with a big lead would help him at the weekend. "Just knowing that I've done it before and that it is possible," he said. "It's just left foot, right foot and just take your time getting finished." Harman opened with a 10-foot birdie at the 10th and added an eight-foot birdie at the 12th. After a bogey at 16 he reeled four birdies in a row, starting with a nine-footer at 17. He rolled in an 11-foot birdie the 18th before birdie putts of six and 10 feet at the first and second. "It was nice to make a nice putt on 17, nice putt on 18, really good approach on one and then nice putt on two to really get the round rolling and get feeling really comfortable out there," said Harman, who is trying to build momentum heading into the first major of the year, the Masters, at Augusta National next week. Advertisement A three-foot birdie at the fifth left Harman four strokes up with four to play and he stuck his tee shot at the par-three seventh within four feet for another birdie. Harman dropped a shot at his final hole, the par-four ninth, where his tee shot found the left rough among the trees and his 12-foot putt to save par narrowly missed. But Mitchell had his own troubles coming in. Having started his day with a birdie at the 10th he was one-under through his first nine holes with three birdies and two bogeys. - Still in there - Bogeys at the first and fourth saw him slide further adrift, and after birdies at the fifth and sixth he dropped a shot when he missed the green at the par-three seventh and finished 36 holes at eight-under 136. Advertisement "A little up and down ... but all in all I'm still in there," Mitchell said. "I wish I was closer to Brian than I am, but glad to make par on nine so I could stay in the last group." Overnight leader Sam Ryder was still in the mix despite a two-over 74 that featured four bogeys and two birdies and left him tied for third on seven-under 137. Ryder said the neck and upper back pain that flared up before the tournament affected him, but mostly, he said "I just didn't play well. "I kind of got off to a bad start and just didn't really get in a good rhythm," Ryder said. "Yeah, I was feeling it a little bit, but was able to kind of grind through it. All in all, if you told me I was going to be in this position going into Saturday, then I would have taken it I think on Thursday." Advertisement He was joined on 137 by Japan's Ryo Hisatsune and England's Matt Wallace, who both shot 67. All are among the players in the field who could earn an invitation to the Masters with a victory on Sunday. bb/rcw
