The Open 2023 LIVE: Final round golf leaderboard and updates as Brian Harman cruises to victory
Harman produced a composed final round to hold off the likes of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood to win the 2023 Open Championship at Hoylake
Brian Harman won The Open in style as a nerveless final round saw him turn his healthy overnight lead into a convincing victory for his first major title.
The 36-year-old American won by six strokes after shooting a one-under-par final round of 70 in soggy conditions at Royal Liverpool to finish 13-under for the tournament.
His overnight lead of five strokes was never truly threatened and, in the end, there was a four-way tie for second place between Jon Rahm (70), Jason Day (69), Sepp Straka (69) and 21-year-old Tom Kim (67).
Home favourites Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy showed flashes of what they were capable of and looked set to close the gap on a couple of occasions but eventually fell away in the face of Harman’s mistake-free golf. His win was built on keeping his ball out of the bunkers and his brilliance on and around the greens. He missed just one putt under 10 feet all week on the Hoylake links to deservedly lift the Claret Jug.
Follow reaction from the fourth round of the 151st Open Championship at Hoylake below:
The Open 2023: Chances goes for Rahm
Rahm -7 (8)
“GO, GO,” the Spaniard yells from the fairway as he eggs on his iron and the ball listens, nestling up to within nine feet. A big birdie chance...just misses. He was playing for some left-to-right movement but none materialised. He remains five off the pace.
The Open 2023: Kim continuing to impress
Kim -6 (11)
Injured ankle and all, the Korean is three under par for the day and up to -6 with a nerveless birdie putt on the 11th. A few more needed in his final seven holes...
The Open 2023: Back-to-back birdies moves Harman five clear
Harman -12 (7), Young -6 (7)
Simply unflappable. Just like yesterday, the American got off to a wobbly start but how he has bounced back.
Fairway in regulation, green in regulation and he is dialled on the greens as he pours in another birdie putt. Back up to -12 where he started the day and his lead is back to five.
Young make a good par save to remain at -6 but he’s now six off the leader.
The Open 2023: Big par save for McIlroy
McIlroy -5 (12), Grillo -5 (12)
The fairway isn’t found off the tee and McIlroy’s second can only come up short right in the rough. He chips out but it’s 10 feet for par...made! You feel like that was must make for Rory and he remains in touching distance.
Grillo is so close to moving up to -6, but the Argentine’s birdie effort just dies out to the right.
The Open 2023: Birdie for Homa
Homa -5 (14)
The American will most-likely run out of holes but the American finds his third birdie of the day at eh 14th. Par-five 15th coming up...
The Open 2023: Close shave for Rahm
Rahm -7 (7)
The cap is backward and Rahm means business but he can’t quite make the long-range look that he has at seven for birdie. Still time but he’ll want to grab one more birdie before he makes the turn.
The Open 2023: Birdie for Straka as Fleetwood also makes the turn
Straka -7 (9), Fleetwood -6 (9)
The Austrian missed a good look on the eighth but makes no mistake on the ninth as he sinks a 22-footer for birdie to move within four.
Fleetwood settles for par and is one further back.
The Open 2023: Much-needed birdie for Harman
Harman -11 (6), Young -6 (6)
That is an awesome response from our leader. Many might have let the pressure get the best of them but the American responds with a solid tee shot into the par-three 6th. He steps up and pours it in for two to get back to -11. Nerveless stuff.
Fair play to Young who fires his tee shot even closer and knocks in a bounce-back birdie as well to stay five back of Harman.
The Open 2023: Lead back to just three
Harman -10 (5), Young -5(5)
And he can’t save it! Has this tournament just got a bit more interesting? Young misses out as well as he looks to save his par and he drops back to -5.
The Open 2023: Harman faces tricky par save on five
Rahm -7 (5), Harman -11 (4), Young -6 (4)
Harman’s pitch races on by about 10 feet, that’ll be a tester, but it’s how he’s built such a big lead.
Young with a horrible shot ahead in the bunker... Oh, that’s rotten, it’s too steep and splashes into the wall, leaving the ball in. This might be the end of his hopes of lifting the claret jug.
He’s got 12 feet or more to save par.
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