As difficult as the conditions were over the weekend at the Valero Texas Open, where gusty winds and chilly temperatures turned the final two rounds into a grinding challenge, Brian Harman carried an extra burden as he won his fourth PGA Tour title, beating Ryan Gerard by three strokes.
Last fall, Harman opened up about how a family friend, Cathy Dowdy, tried to rescue his 6-year-old son, Walter, from a rip current during a vacation. Another witness rescued Walter, but Dowdy was seriously injured.
Dowdy was in a coma after the incident and her condition declined recently. She was recently placed in hospice care while Harman chased his first victory since the 2023 Open Championship.
“I was playing with a heavy heart today thinking about Miss Cathy. She’s not doing so good. Just thinking about her all day,” Harman said after finishing at 9-under-par 279 at TPC San Antonio.
“This golf course gave me all I wanted today… I couldn’t be happier.”
There wasn’t much to suggest the 38-year-old Harman would be the one who emerged from a demanding week holding the trophy.
Harman’s only finish inside the top 20 this year was a T17 at the Genesis Invitational in February and he missed the cut at the Players Championship in his most recent start.
Not one of the longest players on tour, Harman ranked 145th in strokes gained putting entering the week and was outside the top 100 on tour in strokes gained overall.
The week in San Antonio flipped the script, as Harman was No. 2 in strokes gained approach and sixth in strokes gained putting.
“My good days have been good enough to win and my bad days have been not great. You've got to find a way on those days, and that's usually a strong part of my game is gritting it out, figuring out a way to get it done,” Harman said.
“It has been a slow start, a little uncharacteristic. I've been pretty frustrated. I haven't really been able to put my finger on what it is that's kind of holding me back.”
For Gerard, who played his way back onto the PGA Tour this year via the Korn Ferry Tour after losing his card at the end of the 2022-23 season, it was a second straight top-10 finish and a big step toward securing his spot next year.
“It taught me a lot,” Gerard said of being forced to regain his tour card last year. “I didn't have the right attitude at the beginning of the year last year. I was kind of upset at myself. I felt like I was kind of doing myself a disservice by going back down there. Had to really kind of shift the mindset and go earn it.
“Once I did that, everything kind of started clicking a little bit more. But it is a lot sweeter when you earn it. I kind of lucked into it the first time and the second time I earned it. I think I'm more prepared to be back here and I'm better suited for it now.”
Ron Green Jr.