Brian Harman Will Be Missing His 'Drug' Of Fans Jawing At Him During The Masters

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Whether it has been warranted or not, Brian Harman has been looked at as an underdog his entire career. Over the years, the undersized lefty has gotten comfortable in that role and has been able to turn it into a motivating factor, but he may have to fabricate that mentality at Augusta National this week.

Following his Open Championship win last year at Royal Liverpool, Harman explained that fans heckling him drove him to focus in and get the job done. He ultimately won by six shots.

"Everybody has got their team they're rooting for. Yeah, I heard them, and I don't hold any -- if they wanted me to not play well they should have been really nice to me," Harman said after the win.

There was a moment during the back nine during the final round when the broadcast specifically mentioned a heckler near a green that shouted something not-so-friendly at Harman. He reacted by sinking an eight-foot par putt and giving a look in the fan's direction.

That will not be the vibe among fans at Augusta National this week. Not only did Harman gain tremendous respect from any naysayers after winning The Open, the Masters is essentially a home game for him. The 37-year-old is from Savannah, Georgia, still lives in the state, and played his college golf at The University of Georgia.

The Open: Unfazed Brian Harman Puts On Sunday Masterclass

(Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for HSBC)

Heading into the week he's already picked up on the fact that he'll be receiving more love than hate this week, which for him, may be a bad thing.

"You get enough of those ‘take that’ moments, it helps you build confidence. So, that was almost like a calming sensation there," Harman said while reflecting on The Open during his Monday presser at Augusta.

"I live to feel those moments,’’ Harman continued. "That’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. My goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.’’

If Harman is able to play his way to the first page of the leaderboard heading into the weekend, he'll surely feel a bit uncomfortable, but will have more fans pulling for him than against him.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.