Norm Macdonald had a clairvoyant forecast on Brian Harman.
Harman had odds as long as 200-1 to win the British Open in the lead-up to the season’s fourth major, and he delivered a dazzling performance at Royal Liverpool Golf Club this past weekend to earn the Claret Jug.
Macdonald, the late, great comedian, was an avid golf viewer and also a fan of Harman.
In a 2018 Twitter conversation with former PGA Tour pro Robert Damron, Macdonald bemoaned that golf announcers could not discuss Harman without mentioning how short he stands at 5-foot-7.
“Quick question. You were not the tallest golfer. Have you noticed commentators cannot talk about Brian Harman ( overdue to win) without mentioning height?” Macdonald asked Damron.
The tweet caught the eye of an appreciative Harman.
“Not every day that a comedy legend sticks up for you!! Thanks Norm!” Harman responded.
Macdonald then made his fateful prediction.
“I love watching you, Brian. You have it all. You can hit it a mile, and feather it around the greens, but what will win you your majors, the Masters likely being your first, is your easy perfection with the blade. Respect,” Macdonald tweeted.
Harman fulfilled this promise in spades.
Harman bested the rest of the field in strokes gained by putting with 11.57, according to Golf Channel, and made 58 of his 59 putts from within 10 feet during the tournament.
There is a cruel irony in Macdonald’s death before his prediction came true, albeit at a different major than the Masters. Macdonald, an uncompromising comedian with a razor-sharp wit, died of cancer at 61 years old in 2021.
While Macdonald was a notoriously unsuccessful gambler, it’s easy to envision a scenario where this would have been his big score.
