I’m an avid golfer. In my younger days, I was much better than I am now, but I can still score well occasionally. With that said, I also enjoy watching golf. One of my favorite tournaments is the Open Championship, which occurred this past weekend. The course was originally built with 18 holes in 1871, and with very few updates, still holds up today to test some of the best golfers in the world.

This year, the winner of the 2023 Open is a somewhat quiet and unknown golfer to many people who follow sports. His name is Brian Harman. For this tournament, he was head and shoulders above every other golfer.

He led by three to six strokes throughout the final two rounds, and that’s saying something. Harman dominated the field for most of the tournament. But what caught my attention most was what he said during his press conference after winning.

Someone asked him if he ever lost confidence in himself during the final round, and if so, did the thought of failure ever come to mind?  He smiled, paused for a second, and answered, yes, early in the third round while waiting for the group in front to hit their shots.

Harman said he heard someone yell from the crowd, “Hey, Brian, you don’t have the stones to finish this.” Harman claimed that while the comment made him mad it motivated him.

He added, “If you wanted me to lose, you should have been nice to me.” By the way, on the PGA Tour, Harman’s nickname is Bulldog, and it showed.

Once he finished telling that story, Harman said, “I wish I didn’t tell you all that, I don’t want to give that guy the credit, but it’s out, and I guess I should thank him …”

It’s always interesting to me what motivates people to succeed, and Harman winning the 2023 Open is no exception. It was the first major championship he’s ever won; he did win three other events before winning this past weekend. But his 2023 Open performance was different; this was not someone catching lighting in a bottle. Harman was on his game, and he didn’t fold under pressure.

People are motivated by different reasons; sometimes, it’s the fear of losing, sometimes, the joy of winning (and they are different), the doubt other people have in you, and sometimes, the doubt you have in yourself. Whatever the case for you, knowing what motivates you is important.

What’s motivating you today?

My 2 cents.