When Brian Harman played his first Masters in 2015, his father Eric said, “I would not go if Brian wasn’t playing, and I’m honestly not a huge fan of golf.” It showed that even though his parents aren’t big golf fans, they always support him when he competes.

When reflecting on his childhood and the role his father played in shaping his path, Brian Harman didn’t speak about elite coaching or early access to private clubs. Instead, he spoke about the time he spent outdoors, handing the entire credit to his father for introducing him to something that is now a big part of his life. Harman appeared on the Mossy Oak Gamekeepers podcast recently and joined hosts Bobby Cole, Lannie Wallace, and Dudley Phelps in giving them a glimpse of how his father did a great job raising him and introduced him to the outdoors.

“He just… what’s amazing about my dad is that… I grew up with a younger brother and my dad, he just, every time when he had a choice, of whether he was going fishing or hunting with his buddies or take us, he always took us,” Harman said. “And so he sacrificed a lot of time that he had with his friends, for us to spend time with him. You know, he was doing what he wanted to do. You know, he loved to fish, and that’s what we did as kids. But, um, you know, he always picked us over his buddies,” Harman continued. Instead of the time his father could’ve spent with friends, he chose to spend it with his sons, which stuck with Harman.

Harman’s love for the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, which he picked up from his father, is something that has benefited his golf career and runs deeper than childhood memories. “When I’m hunting, that’s where I get most of my mental work for golf done. I’m always thinking about what I can do to get better,” Harman told Golfweek in an interview in 2020. “And both take a lot of patience, and both frustrate you to your wits’ end. Both can be extremely rewarding, but you fail way more than you succeed in hunting, and that’s the same way it is in golf. It’s a mind game in the woods and on the golf course, a chess match that challenges every time,” he added.

Now a father himself, Harman says those early experiences with his father are ones he hopes to replicate with his own family. “And I think that you know… that’s something that I’ll try and do with my three kids. I mean, it’s a pretty easy choice, you see, the way that your kids act in the outdoors and how much they love it, and um, you know, so he just spent a bunch of time with us. He always put the time out. And I think that’s important,” Harman continued to reflect in the podcast. When asked if he was able to take his dad around and pay it back a little bit after his success on the PGA Tour, Harman responded, “Yeah, he spends about three, four days a week down at the farm tanking around, and he loves rebuilding his old jeeps. He’s got old jeeps he loves… he loves messing with the tractors. Yeah… yeah, he is a trip, man.”

It’s clear that the bond between father and son remains strong, rooted in shared passions and mutual respect. Harman may never fully repay the sacrifices his dad made, but he’s doing it in the best way he knows — by living a life grounded in gratitude and purpose. As Harman tees it up at the Tour Championship this week, he does so not just as one of the game’s top competitors, but as a testament to what can grow from quiet dedication and a father’s unwavering support.

Brian Harman rides into East Lake with momentum

Brian Harman storms into the Tour Championship riding a wave of momentum after a breakout 2025 season. A win at the Valero Texas Open rocketed him from 72nd to 19th in the FedEx Cup standings, and consistent top finishes, including tied 8th at the 2025 Travelers Championship and tied 19th at Caves Valley, have kept him in the mix. With grit and form on his side, Harman’s proving he belongs among the PGA Tour’s elite.

Now, as he prepares to tee it up at East Lake, Harman enters with a mix of confidence and perspective. Having already proven his ability to win on golf’s biggest stages, including his triumph at the 2023 Open Championship, after which he was ranked 8th on the OWGR, he brings not only form but experience into the final event of the season. While he’s currently ranked 28th in the world rankings, Harman’s 2025 run with four top 10 finishes has solidified his reputation as one of the game’s toughest competitors. His success is rooted in more than just skill, but also in humility, hard work, and a deep connection to where he came from.