Brian Harman is one of the players who will probably not stray too far from his phone over the coming days as Keegan Bradley decides which six players will complete his Ryder Cup team for Bethpage.
Heading into the Tour Championship, Brian Harman was in 12th spot in the USA Ryder Cup standings. The highlight of his year came at the Valero Texas Open as he won by three shots.
Harman is one of the players Keegan Bradley faces a difficult call on. The 2023 Open champion has featured in the last two team events for USA and he has so much fighting spirit. He also finished inside the top 10 at both Travelers Championship and The Open Championship in recent months.
And just when it appeared that Harman’s race may be run, the 38-year-old posted a 63 on Sunday at the Tour Championship to potentially send a message to the US captain.
Brian Harman speaks about his Ryder Cup chances after the Tour Championship
It was not enough to bring Harman into contention at East Lake. But it is the kind of round that will work in his favour if Bradley is on the fence about whether to hand him a pick.
And after his round, Harman was asked about whether the Ryder Cup has been in the back of his mind in recent weeks.
“I think anybody that’s been considered for it would be lying if they didn’t have it in the back of their mind,” he said.
“Anything that I say about myself is going to look like lobbying. So you know what, I’m not going to say anything,” he added, when asked about what he would bring to the side.
What Brian Harman finds odd about the Ryder Cup
There has traditionally been a feeling that the Ryder Cup means more to the European players than their American counterparts.
Obviously, that is not the case for all players. And Harman suggested that there is no tournament which captures the imagination quite like an event in which he gets to represent his country.
“Yeah, the teams are a lot of fun. They’re a lot of fun. It’s kind of an oddity; we’re out here playing for so much money and all those trophies, and for some of us, those teams, they kind of mean everything,” he said.
“The Ryder Cup is super important, and it’s an incredible event. I had the time of my life last time.”
Momentum is always so significant in the Ryder Cup. It can be incredibly difficult to stem the tide once the matches start to get away from a team.
But perhaps momentum will have never been more important than it will prove to be at Bethpage. The crowd is likely to be as passionate as the Ryder Cup has ever seen.
If USA get in front, it is going to be incredibly difficult for Europe to turn things around. But the last thing the home side can afford to do is allow Luke Donald’s men to seize the initiative.
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