Lee Westwood has voiced his opinion on the levels of disrespect shown to Brian Harman and his Open Championship win due to him not being one of golf's bigger stars.
The left-handed Harman was not the most popular winner of the Claret Jug, as he dominated the field full of huge stars and home hopes at Royal Liverpool with a runaway victory.
The 36-year-old performed brilliantly over the weekend but his dominant success led to a lack of drama down the stretch, resulting in reported low viewing figures and some negative reports on the event.
Westwood did not appreciate the negativity which he feels detracted from such a brilliant front-running display from Harman.
“The level of disrespect towards Brian Harman and his remarkable victory at the Open on Sunday was astounding," Westwood wrote in a column for The Telegraph.
“Imagine if Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy had won by six shots at Hoylake. Everyone would be shouting from the clubhouse rooftops and with good reason, too.
"But because it was Harman and not a household name, the reaction on social media seemed to be ‘meh’.”
Westwood insists that no Open, or Open champion, should be judged just by how famous they are.
“I am now dreading one of those damned lists to appear that rank “the worst major champions of all time” or something of that pathetic ilk," Westwood added.
“It is grotesque and cruel and a plague on the sport. Judge the champs on how they play, how they win, not on how famous they happen to be at the time.
“He was world No.26, for goodness sake. That was lower than Shane Lowry when he won at Portrush in 2019. And nobody called that Open “a dud”. There is no such thing as a “dud” Open, unless you are obsessed with celebrity.”
And Westwood also had a warning for those who underestimate Harman that he'll be a big asset for Zach Johnson's USA Ryder Cup team.
"I saw some idiot on social media claiming it to be good thing for Europe that Harman is on the US Ryder Cup team for September’s Ryder Cup in Rome," Westwood added. "Is it hell!
"He is the type of matchplay opponent that would drive you absolutely mad – never missing a putt, always staying in the hole with his grit and determination.
"No, he does not hit it miles and is no bomber, but as we saw on the Wirral he is accurate and the way that we set up our Ryder Cup courses on this side of the pond – narrow fairways, thick rough – means that he will be suited to the test at Marco Simone. Believe it, Brian will be a huge asset to Zach Johnson in the foursomes.
"The strength of depth at the US captain’s disposal is as incredible as it is ominous as the Americans plot to win on European soil for the first time in 30 years.
"Wyndham Clark won last month’s US Open and he was another who was not one of the top picks. Their confidence will be overflowing after this."
