Brian Harman tames Hoylake to win the Open; Shubhankar Sharma registers best-ever finish by an Indian

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Hoylake was a rainy mess on Sunday. But the golf was somehow calm and serene, a mystifying object of beauty only possible at a major championship. Brian Harman was so far ahead, and despite two days of intriguing drama, there was nothing even the most deviant of prayers could do to unsettle the butcher from Savannah.

Faced with the prospect of a maiden tryst with major glory, Harman was as sturdy as the tide barrier in Venice. In a sense, Shubhankar Sharma was just as robust too. Sharma was the lone bogey-free card on Sunday, a 70, minted from the hot gold of tenacity.

The Indian achieved an unmatched top ten at the Open, bettering the T27 by Jyoti Randhawa in the 2004 Open at Royal Troon. Harman stumbled ever so little at the start, offering the desperate chase a sliver of hope. It turned out to be a trope.

A painful mirage for those on the trail, already sore from wiping all the rainwater from their wet eyes. He conceded shots at the second and fifth, dropping to ten. Jon Rahm at 7-under may have licked his fingers in delight.

But unfortunately for the Spaniard, the bulldog in his spirit couldn’t light up the embers of his clubs. Rahm remained stitched to the ground at that number for most of his round. Rory McIlroy was also striving to produce a final round rumble, but despite his best efforts, the putts would graze the edges.

At other times, the drive would lead him astray, leaving McIlroy in a bruising battle to remain unscathed. Eventually, after another narrow miss at the 72nd hole, he signed for a skillful 68, just enough for a 30th top ten in 59 major appearances. Sepp Straka, Tom Kim, and Emiliano Grillo were among those that made notable gains on Sunday, but no man came close enough to tickle the tail of