Brian Harman has been a PGA Tour pro since 2012. However, he has only won three events during his time here. But his biggest victory on the course is something many golfers have still not achieved in their careers. In 2023, Harman fought tooth and nail until the last few holes to dominate the Royal Liverpool Golf Course. The result? He captured the Open Championship title with a 6-stroke lead against the entire field. A field that had the likes of Jon Rahm & Rory McIlroy, also equally eager to win.
But that might not be Harman’s biggest achievement in life. Being a dedicated family man, the 38-year-old has always treasured his loved ones more than anything he does on the course. Harman’s biggest victory is definitely the beautiful family he shares with Kelly Van Slyke. And that is not where the Harman family ends. Let’s see who else is a part of their household.
Brian Harman’s wife & kids
On December 13, 2014, many years before his major win, Brian Harman started his journey with Kelly Van Slyke. The two exchanged vows to spend eternity together and build a loving household along the way. Only two years later, Harman and Van Slyke added a third member to their family. Their first child, Cooper Marie, was born in 2016. A year later, the PGA Tour pro shared the first glimpse of his daughter sleeping beside her mother on Instagram. The post was dedicated to Kelly on Mother’s Day with the caption “I’m amazed every day at the Mother you are. I love you so much @kvsharman. Happy First Mother’s Day.” The toddler sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms painted a beautiful picture of the lovely Harman family.
Two is later, Brian & Kelly Harman opened doors to their second child. Walter, the middle child and the first son, was born in 2019. And finally, the Harmans grew into a bigger family as the second son, Jack, was born in 2022. While there are no pictures of Walter as a toddler on the pro golfer’s Instagram, one of the photos from 2023 shows all three kids dressed in matching pajamas enjoying breakfast together.
The group of five, which includes Brian Harman, Kelly Van Slyke, Cooper Marie, Walter, and Jack, man one big happy family. And they have all appeared on the course together during Harman’s PGA Tour appearances in the past. However, more recently, the family faced a major tragedy that shook the golf community. Let’s see what happened.
The Harmans were left shaken
Brian Harman was in China back in October 2024, participating in a golf tournament. With the dad away for work, the rest of the family thought of taking a short vacation to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Fortunately, they were also joined by a family friend, Cathy Dowdy, on the trip. We say fortunately because Dowdy was the reason the Harmans are still intact today.
Tragedy struck when a 6-year-old Walter was in the sea with his buddy. Harman himself revealed the details of the incident as he said, “My son was involved, he was out boogie boarding with one of his really good friends, got ripped out to sea by just a rip current.” Commending Dowdy’s heroics during the moment, the 38-year-old added, “Cathy Dowdy, a family friend – really, we call ’em family friends but they’re family – she went in the water after my son. He’s 6. Couldn’t get to him. Another gentleman coming down the beach, Crane Cantrell, jumped in. He makes it out fine; Cathy (got) injured really badly … She’s been in a coma for going on six weeks now and so obviously our world down here was kind of turned on its head.”
Both Cathy and Walter made it out alive and safe after the incident. Latest reports reveal that Dowdy has since regained consciousness and has been rehabilitating from the injuries she sustained. And the Harman family is also doing well now. They are still extremely grateful to Cathy Dowdy for her heroic actions in Florida. In the end, everything turned out well.
Having said that, Brian Harman will be a part of the field at the 2025 Masters Tournament. Considering his form in the Valero Texas Open, do you think he will be challenging for his second major win at Augusta National? Let us know in the comments section.
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