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| Brian Harman shows off his John Deere Classic trophy on Sunday. |
The 27-year-old, in his third full season on the PGA Tour, hadn't been in the final twosome in the final round until Sunday. The former Bulldog All-American held the lead entering the final round of the John Deere Classic, and looked at the scoreboard after hitting a poor shot into the eighth green.
"I saw the guys were playing well, so that's when I felt it, but I was able to hit three really good shots on No. 9 to birdie, and that kind of got me going," Harman said.
He kept going all the way to his first victory on the Tour, using three straight birdies down the stretch to hold off Zach Johnson by one stroke.
Harman had a 5-under 66 in the final round for a 22-under-262 total to earn $846,000 and the last exemption for next week's British Open. Johnson had the best round of the day at 7-under 64.
"It was very hard, probably one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do in my life," Harman said. "Just trying not to let your mind run wild is the hardest part out there."
Harman is the sixth Bulldog to win on Tour this year, joining Bubba Watson, Harris English, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd.
Two years ago, Harman played with Johnson in a late pairing of the Deere that Johnson won, and learned a great deal about how to handle the heat.
"I talked to Zach about it, and he felt I was trying to get out of his way a little too much and that I needed to stake my ground a little bit," Harman said.
He did so Sunday beginning on the par-5 second hole, sinking a 4-foot putt after a 223-yard approach. That jumped him to 19 under and set the tone. His bogey on No. 5 became only a momentary speed bump once he birdied No. 9. He led Johnson and Scott Brown by a stroke at the turn and was ahead by as many as three strokes after his final birdie, a 6-footer on No. 16.
Harman, whose best previous finishes were ties for third place, also earned his first invitations to the Masters and the Tournament of Champions. He tried to block that out along the way.
"When those thoughts enter, it's like what's the best way to get those things you want," Harman said.
He got his third eagle in 19 holes when he eagled the par-5 second for the second straight day. He sank a 4-foot putt after a brilliant approach from 223 yards. A bogey on No. 5 was offset by a birdie on the ninth, the most difficult hole on the front nine. Harman stood 19-under at the turn, and added a birdie at No. 10 to go to 20 under.
Johnson started three strokes behind Harman, but caught him by the 14th hole, when he tapped in from 10 inches for his third birdie in five holes and sixth of the day.
Harman came to the drivable par-4 14th minutes later, and after watching Stricker scramble for a par, got up and down from a greenside bunker with a 14-foot birdie putt. He added birdies on the next two holes to pull away from the field. With a two-shot cushion on the 18th tee, a bogey on the final hole didn't hurt him.
"He's always been known as a gritty player that plays pretty simple golf," Johnson said of Harman, a neighbor on St. Simons Island. "To me it was just a matter of time."
Kevin Kisner came in 20th at 12-under, Henley placed 27th at 10-under and English finished 74th at 1-under. Kirk, Justin Bolli, Ryuji Imada and Hudson Swafford missed the cut.
• Harman got some assistance from a fan on Friday when his caddy became ill. Read about it here.
• Remember to cast your ESPYs vote for Watson for Best Male Golfer. Voting ends at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
• Scott Parel placed 26th in the Web.com Tour's Utah Championship at 10-under. Paul Claxton missed the cut.
• The Web.com Tour stop this week is the Albertsons Boise Open in Idaho. Claxton, Parel, Imada and Bolli are in the field.
• Sepp Straka was the top Bulldog in the Georgia Amateur Championship at Idle Hour Club in Macon. Straka came in ninth at 1-over 281, six shots out of first. Zach Healy came in 12th at 4-over, followed by Greg Kennedy in 28th at 11-over and Bill Brown III in 56th at 18-over. Mookie DeMoss, Jack Hall, Sam Straka and Zan Banks missed the cut.
• Condolences go out to the family of Tommy Valentine, who passed away on Saturday after a long bout with cancer. He was 64. Valentine starred for the Bulldogs from 1968-71, claiming SEC medalist honors and earning All-America status in 1970. Valentine spent 10 years on the PGA Tour and later was the head pro at Lochmoore Club in Michigan. A memorial service will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Gainesville, Ga.
