Brian Harman and Ben Griffin: Inside the mind of golf’s calmest competitors

New Delhi: There’s a stillness about American golfer Brian Harman, something meditative. The compact left-hander from Savannah, Georgia, is one of golf’s most unflappable competitors. Harman etched his name in golfing history with a dominant win at The Open Championship in 2023 at Royal Liverpool in Merseyside, England. A seasoned professional, he brings a craftsman’s mindset to the game — meticulous, patient, and quietly intense. It’s no coincidence he finds parallels between two passions that demand patience and focus — hunting and golf. “Both require you to have really good control over your nerves,” Harman said during a media interaction.

“You’ve got to be able to settle yourself down, to stay in the moment.” Golf at the top level isn’t just a battle against opponents; it’s a conversation with yourself. Every missed fairway, every looping putt asks the same question: can you remain uncluttered? For Harman, that comes naturally. “When the weather turns or when conditions tighten, I feel like the field gets smaller,” he explained. “If it’s windy, that eliminates a portion of players.

If it’s narrow, another portion is gone.

I just stick to what I’m doing and see what happens.” Few sports expose emotion quite like golf does. Chaos often starts inside the mind. One bad swing can snowball into self-doubt; one missed putt can rattle confidence for a week. Another American golfer, Ben Griffin, a member of the 2025 US Ryder Cup team, was open about his mental approach on the golf course. “I’m a pretty positive guy and have a lot of fun on the golf course,” Griffin said. “Life’s short. It’s important to take a step back, soak it all in, and make sure I’m having fun. That’s what I did as a kid, and that’s what I do now — even though it’s my profession.” But the 29-year-old’s easygoing tone masks a story that’s anything but easy. A few years ago, Griffin walked away from golf entirely. He was burnt out, unsure, and disillusioned. He took a regular job, far from the greens and galleries, and found peace in the quiet monotony of office life. “For me, I did quit the game fully,” Griffin said. “I was working a job for a few months, and it was a great time to get my mind completely off golf. I had no intention of coming back, and it’s crazy that it’s worked out the way it has.” His comeback now feels almost cinematic. “It’s important to always chase your dreams,” Griffin said. “But it’s also healthy to take a break sometimes, step back, and look at it holistically. Learn from your journey.”