Brian Harman heckler spurred British Open win: ‘You don’t have the stones’

When one fan went to heckle Brian Harman on Saturday, he probably didn’t expect his taunt to lead to a British Open trophy.

Harman, an American who won the British Open by a six-stroke landslide on Sunday for his first career major title, said he used a little extra motivation from a heckler with some unkind words.

“After I made the second bogey [Saturday], a guy, when I was passing him, he said, ‘Harman, you don’t have the stones for this.’ That helped,” Harman said.

“Yeah, that helped a lot,” Harman elaborated. “I think he was — anyway, that helped. Anyway, it helped snap me back into, ‘I’m good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to go through my process, and the next shot is going to be good.’”

Following the taunt, Harman kicked into gear, playing -4 golf for the rest of the day and establishing a commanding lead at the front of the pack — much to the chagrin of the Royal Liverpool crowd.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t hear some things that weren’t super nice towards me,” Harman revealed on Saturday, adding that some of the heckles lobbed his way were “unrepeatable.”

“I hear them, but, at the same time, I don’t try to let that influence the decision I’m about to make.”

He seemingly picked the right one to fuel his weekend.

“I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do something like this,’’ Harman said. “It’s just when it takes so much time, it’s hard not to let your mind falter, like, ‘Maybe I’m not winning again.’ I’m 36 years old, the game is getting younger, all these young guys coming out, hit it a mile, and they’re all ready to win. Like, ‘When is it going to be my turn again?’

Harman finished 13-under-par, leaving Sepp Straka, Jason Day, Tom Kim and Jon Rahm — all -7 — in the dust for a convincing win.

The triumph brings the golfer to No. 10 in the world rankings and figures to secure a spot for Harman on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.