Johnson Wagner has implored Brian Harman to go back to his old putter after seeing the 2023 Open Championship winner test more clubs than ever before this season.
Harman went into the FedEx St. Jude Championship desperately needing a brilliant week to stand any chance of qualifying for the BMW Championship.
He goes into the final round at TPC Southwind in a tie for sixth, six shots adrift of Scottie Scheffler.
Crucially, Harman is now projected to end the week in 51st place in the FedEx Cup standings. Not only would that end his playoff run at the first hurdle, but it would also leave the left-hander with work to do to make it into all of the signature events in 2027.
Johnson Wagner urges Brian Harman to change his putter
It is a surprise to see Brian Harman endure such an underwhelming year given that he made it all the way to East Lake last season.
He has managed to register just one top 10 on the PGA Tour in 2026. And it seems that he has been getting twitchy as the pressure ramps up at this stage of the season.
Speaking on Scorecard, Johnson Wagner revealed that Harman has been reaching out for advice. He also explained the one change he would urge the 39-year-old to make.
“This is probably the most important year that we’ve had signature events to get into the top 50, because with everything changing in 2028, this is massive. I know Keith Mitchell quite well, it’s weighing on him, it’s weighing on Harm. They know that if they get inside that top 50, that they’re basically going to be guaranteed to be on that Championship tier come 2028. So I think it’s just a lot of pent up stress,” he said.
“Harm, I walked with him and Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the 3M. He reached out to me afterwards and he was like, ‘what did you see in my game? Did you see anything that I could improve?’ And I was like, ‘Brian, you looked unbelievable out there. You’re driving the ball well. Just get out of your own way.’
“One thing I’ve noticed with him the last few weeks, this whole year really, he is messing with more putters than I can ever remember. I want him to go back to that massive, long putter head. He needs to get back to that putter, because for me, that’s the one thing in his game that is not quite as sharp as we’re used to seeing.”
Brian Harman reflects on the pressure of remaining in the FedEx Cup playoffs
Only Sungjae Im is currently set to make a bigger jump in the FedEx Cup standings than Harman. The South Korean is the one player in the field in Memphis who is on course to move inside the top 50 this week.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of the PGA Tour. Clearly, most players – particularly those with major championships under their belts – will be extremely keen to ensure that they are playing at the highest level from 2028.
However, when asked after his third round how he will go about not putting too much pressure on himself, Harman insisted that he is far from the only player feeling the heat.
“It’s really hard. Kind of wherever you are on tour, you’re on some kind of bubble. You’re either trying to make the Tour Championship or you’re trying to make the Presidents Cup or you’re trying to make the top 50 or you’re trying to keep your card or trying to win for the first time,” he said.
“Yeah, I think that’s what makes our game so great. I think that’s what’s super interesting about golf is there’s 15 different golf tournaments going on out here, not just the guy trying to win. I think that’s what we’re trying to do going forward because we all care a lot. I mean, I care a lot. I care a lot about making the top 50. I care a lot about making the top 30. I care a lot about winning. I care a lot about making teams.
“It’s hard not to think about that stuff, but at the same time, you think about it all the time anyways, so you kind of get used to it.”
Harman almost certainly needs to break into the top 50 if he hopes to be on the Presidents Cup team later this year. He is currently 25th in the standings, and he will surely be asking too much of Brandt Snedeker if he hopes to receive a pick if his season ends here.