Brian Harman celebrates on the 18th inexperienced after successful the British Open Golf Championships on the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, on Sunday.

Kin Cheung/AP

conceal caption

toggle caption

Kin Cheung/AP

Brian Harman celebrates on the 18th inexperienced after successful the British Open Golf Championships on the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, on Sunday.

Kin Cheung/AP

HOYLAKE, England — Brian Harman turned again each problem within the British Open, from massive names to unhealthy climate, and took his place amongst main champions Sunday with a victory that was by no means critically unsure at Royal Liverpool.

Harman twice responded to a uncommon bogey with back-to-back birdies, leaving everybody else enjoying for second. He closed with a 1-under 70, making an 8-foot par putt on the final gap for a six-shot victory.

At age 36, he’s the oldest first-time main winner since Sergio Garcia was 37 when he received the Masters in 2017.

Garcia wasn’t a shock. Not many would have seen this victory coming at the beginning of the week. Harman had gone 167 tournaments over six years since his final win within the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. This is just his third title in his 12 years on the PGA Tour.

And then the avid outdoorsman made successful golf’s oldest championship look as simple as capturing fish in a barrel.

Masters champion Jon Rahm birdied his final gap for a 70 to make it a four-way tie for second place with Tom Kim (67), Sepp Straka (69) and Jason Day (69).

That turned out to be the B-flight.

“He won by six, so there’s nothing really any of us could have done,” Rahm mentioned.

Harman took the lead on Friday morning with the second of 4 straight birdies early within the second spherical. He by no means trailed over the ultimate 51 holes, main by 5 photographs after the second spherical and 5 photographs after the third spherical.

He began the spherical within the rain with a smattering of boos from the grandstand, followers both wanting a giant star or maybe not listening to the masterclass efficiency Harman had delivered. Playing with Tommy Fleetwood of England on Saturday, Harman mentioned he heard just a few feedback he described as unrepeatable.

But he is filled with Georgia grit, by no means wavering in rain or sunshine or wind.

He walked up towards the 18th inexperienced to a standing ovation, and tapped his hand to his coronary heart to acknowledge the followers as he walked off the inexperienced. All that remained was signing his card — a 13-under 271 — and return to gather the silver claret jug, the oldest trophy in golf.

Brian Harman, champion golfer of the 12 months. Imagine that.

“I’m going to have a couple of pints out of this here trophy, I believe,” Harman mentioned.

The end, even with none drama, was becoming. Harman hit his method from 194 yards right into a pot bunker proper of the 18th inexperienced, solely the third bunker he was in over 72 holes. That’s the largest key to Royal Liverpool. And he made the putt, giving him solely 106 for the week.

“I doubled down on my process and I know it’s boring and it is not flashy,” Harman mentioned. “But, until hitting that last bunker shot, I have not thought about winning the tournament.”

There was one anxious second early on Sunday in a gentle rain. Harman hit his drive right into a gorse bush left of the green on the par-5 fifth gap and needed to take a penalty drop. It led to his second bogey of the spherical.

Rahm, enjoying within the group forward, regarded to get a kind of breaks that fall to main winners. His drive had landed between bushes, permitting for a shot simply wanting the inexperienced and a birdie.

The lead was down to a few photographs. The rain wasn’t stopping. The remainder of the hyperlinks, together with the stress that comes with Sunday at a serious, was nonetheless forward of him.

Harman drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth, a 25-foot birdie putt on the following gap and he was on his approach.

He dropped one other shot on the par-3 thirteenth that diminished his result in 4 photographs with 5 to play. And then he made birdie from 40 toes on the powerful 14th, and adopted with an 8-foot birdie on the fifteenth.

The 12 months ended in additional disappointment for Rory McIlroy, who had received the Scottish Open final week and was the final Open champion at Royal Liverpool in 2014. He was by no means actually an element, though he definitely teased the big galleries that adopted him.

Sunday was no exception. McIlroy began 9 photographs behind and ran off three straight birdies, beginning with a 50-foot putt on No. 3. He was inside 5 photographs and nonetheless on the entrance 9. And then he stalled, not making one other birdie till Harman was nicely on his approach.

McIlroy was one shot higher every spherical — 71-70-69-68 — to tie for sixth with Emiliano Grillo (68). That wasn’t practically sufficient to match a efficiency like Harman delivered.

“I’m optimistic about the future and just got to keep plugging away,” mentioned McIlroy, who now has gone 34 majors since successful his final one in 2014.

Cameron Young, the runner-up final 12 months at St. Andrews, performed within the last group with Harman and by no means utilized any stress. He hit a chip that rolled off the facet of the inexperienced on the opening gap and made bogey, and he missed approach too many putts inside 10 toes.

He closed with a 73 and tied for eighth with Shubhankar Sharma of India, who had 17 pars and one birdie in his spherical of 70.

Harman now has a five-year exemption in all of the majors and joins the checklist of Open champions at Hoylake that embrace McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen.

He can also take into consideration a return to Europe in September for the Ryder Cup in Rome. The victory, price $3 million, strikes him comfortably to No. 3 within the standings. The prime six a month from now mechanically qualify.

Harman by no means has performed in a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. He strikes to No. 10 on this planet. Over 4 days at Royal Liverpool, he definitely regarded the half.