A few weeks ago, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Brian Harman caught some online heat for his pre-shot waggling. Of course, because it was the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the “online heat” was only on a very teeny tiny corner of the internet and was quickly forgotten.
Open Championship 2023: Play briefly suspended day three because of… a toad?!
The Open Championship, which Harman is leading after 54 holes, is very much not the Rocket Mortgage Classic. All eyes are on the five-foot-seven lefty as he takes a five-shot lead into the final round at Royal Liverpool on Sunday, the type of attention he’s never quite experienced before.
Yes, he did hold another 54-hole lead in a major at the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills, but it was only a one-stroke lead that he was expected to lose with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas on his heels. On Sunday at Hoylake, he’s expected to win.
Harman already received a decent dose of that extra attention during Saturday’s third round, attention of the negative variety. At the 12th tee, where his lead was only four, Sky Sports cameras captured Harman’s excessive pre-shot waggling and waddling. It reached a point where one of the commentators called it “Sergio-esque” (Garcia, infamously, had trouble pulling the trigger at the 2002 US Open, which became a story). Sheesh. Shots fired:
I thought my TV was glitching! pic.twitter.com/azkvimToSz
— UK Golf Guy (@ukgolfguy) July 22, 2023
Brutal. Strangely enough, that was exactly 12 waggles, the identical amount he made the last time he went viral for waggling, that time over a wedge shot. Kind of eerie, to be honest. That, or Harman just really likes a 12-count waggle.
The people did not take too kindly to it as is tradition:
You guys don't have 12 waggles before you pull the trigger on every shot?
— Andrew Carr (@andrewjcarr29) July 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/rdanch/status/1682821966279917569?s=20
Thou shalt count to 12, no more no less. 12 shall be the number of waggles, and the waggling shall be 12. 13 waggles thou shalt not, nor 11, unless thou proceed to a 12th waggle. 14 is right out. Once the number 12, being the 12th waggle, be reached, thou may swingeth thy driver
— jhwk (@jhwkr542) July 22, 2023
OK, I laughed at that last one.
In fairness to Harman, he’s probably never felt nerves like he’s feeling this weekend. Hopefully these Sky Sports guys take it a little easier on him on Sunday. Also, if he gets to 13 waggles at some point, we know he’s REALLY feeling it.
