Brian Harman spoke to the media ahead of the RBC Heritage, where he was asked about his 47 at the Masters, his reaction to Scottie Scheffler’s rise, his growth from winning his 1st Major Championship last year, and how it feels to be back at the RBC Heritage 20 years after his first start at the tournament.
yeah it feels uh feels like a lifetime
ago um I was I think 16 or 17 years old
so yeah feels like a long time ago yeah
this is one of my absolute favorite
stops all year um state of South
Carolina I’m so happy that they’ve got
such a good field this is such a great
event and um they’ve always supported
this event even when it got a little
dicey there I don’t know seven eight
years ago we were afraid we’re going to
lose this tournament I’m soad glad that
it’s still here and kind of made it
through and and they’ve got a great
fiing great weather it’s going to be a
fantastic event oh man 40 was 40 yeah 47
you’re right I thought it was 46 um you
know I I had I didn’t have my best stuff
I I played at Valero and was feeling
pretty good um and went in there and my
prep wasn’t that great I got off to a
good start which I haven’t really done
and the conditions just got the better
me and I I I hit a I hit a wedge shot
into the water on 13 which is the hole
that I restarted on and I just lost my I
just lost my patience um you know I’ve
been pretty good at being able to kind
of you know dial myself you know bring
myself back to the to the moment and I
just yeah I I made that mistake and then
I hit it in the water on 16 and you know
both both shots I felt like I executed
pretty good if you could you know let me
move my ball three feet I probably would
have made two birdies instead of you
know a double and a triple and once I
got behind it you the wind’s blowing
it’s just it’s such a hard Golf Course
um you know I was I was proud of the way
that I hung in there you know without
really you know i’ i’ wasted the golf
tournament I was proud of the way that I
hung in there Friday afternoon and shot
a decent score uh even after um you know
I wasn’t going to make the cut so what
happened I I lost patience and made some
bad golf swings
and and they add up quick over there do
you think there should be sponsor
invites now that this is a signature
event well it’s it’s it’s a tricky one I
mean in the pure meritocracy of it no
but you know we’re asking sponsors to to
Pony up extra money for these events and
so I I don’t see how you can ask them to
also not have sponsor exemptions so uh I
hear Arguments for for for both sides
and I I understand both sides I don’t I
don’t really have a strong opinion
either way I I think the elevated events
have been for me anyway have been a
fantastic experience they they have a an
aura about them that makes it feel like
a like a old school PGA Tour event like
they feel like a really big deal and
I’ve been very excited to compete in
them uh yeah there’s lots of parts of me
that hope he doesn’t play um no I’m not
surprised he’s a you know he he’s one of
those guys that when he commits commits
to do a thing he’s going to do it um
yeah he’s he’s about impressive of as a
guy uh that that that that you’re ever
going to meet um I can remember when he
first came
out he uh I was I was razing him about
Texas football I was trying to get a
reaction out of him wouldn’t give it to
me you know you know was joking with him
and I was impressed that that he didn’t
he didn’t bite on that and then I can
remember it it was either his what what
what year is this for him five or
six 20
five five four five six five five so
this would have been maybe his second
year this his rookie year or second year
we’re playing together in Detroit and he
shoots I mean something he shoots a bad
score the first day and then the second
day he goes out he’s got no chance to
make the cut and he shoots like this
perfect 65 like just all day just like
what you see now and that was really
impressive because most I feel like most
guys that were first year they would
have kind of mailed it in but but he
just went through his routine and and
and shot a great score
so Scotty’s success has not surprised me
he’s got the he’s got like the perfect
the perfect mental strength and demeanor
to to do what he’s
doing yeah that’s the that’s kind of the
rub of our game and and I’m sure the
guys felt the same way when tiger was
winning every tournament that he that he
stepped foot on it it feels like right
now that if if Scotty shows up with with
a anything above a Bame he’s probably
going to be right there he’s just he’s
been so consistent he works extremely
hard I can remember at the Players this
year he had just won Bay Hill the day
before and Monday afternoon he’s out
just I mean golf ball after golf ball
after golf ball working working working
so he he’s very dedicated to it and like
I said he’s got a great mental approach
to the game and and um I don’t think
that he gets
enough I don’t think he gets enough
credit for the way that he does putt you
know everyone wants to pick apart his
putting but it seems plenty good to
me uh see 2012 I think tiger won five
times he won all he like swept the
Invitational seems like Scotty on his
current trajectory would be very
comparable to that
um yeah he’s just you know he’s
extremely good and he’s and he’s playing
extremely good and and um you know I’m
I’m I’m super I’m super excited for him
and Mar to welcome their child into the
world they’re going to be fantastic
parents he’s he’s just he’s a he’s a
very agreeable person to be around and
and um I mean I I can’t say enough nice
things about him it’s certainly been a
different experience um being a major
Champion but I’m I’m I’m here for all of
it I I love it it’s been it’s been
fantastic it’s given me uh what I feel
like is a little bit more room to try
and perform the way that I feel like
that I can perform not that it’s given
me any sort of a cushion but but it’s
given me a little extra confidence and
it’s given me a little extra motivation
to try and work really hard to try and
put my game back into the place that’s
good enough to to win a major so
