Before he gained the lead at this week’s British Open — shooting a 6-under-par 65 on Friday to reach 8-under at Royal Portrush Golf Club on the northern coast of Northern Ireland — Brian Harman struggled.

Harman won the 2023 Open and is contending again at Royal Portrush, but his introduction to links golf was rocky, at best.

Harman wants more and, though 36 holes of the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, he’s put himself in position to hoist the Claret Jug for a second time thanks to a second-round 65 on Thursday. That put him in the lead at 8-under par as some of the players with later tee times, such as Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, were teeing off.

American Brian Harman did what Brian Harman does best to take the clubhouse lead at the British Open on Friday -- hit fairways, sink putts and leave the stressing to others. Two years after seizing the halfway lead at Royal Liverpool and going on to lift the Claret Jug by a whopping six strokes,

Equally infuriating and mystifying to the European golf media, Brian Harman is sticking to his, ahem, guns at Royal Portrush.