Getty Justin Harding
Justin Harding, 33, made waves through the 2018 season, but his primary results came outside of the PGA Tour. Regardless, his play grabbed plenty of attention, but after a hot start at the 2019 Masters, he looked to build off that play. While Harding isn’t a well-known name on the PGA Tour yet, he’s certainly on his way to being one.
Harding was born and raised in Western Cape, South Africa and currently resides in Cape Town. The South Africa native turned pro in 2010 after an impressive collegiate career, which is where we’ll start with the breakdown of what you need to know about Harding.
Justin Harding Attended Lamar University
Harding made major strides in golf while playing at Lamar University and was dominant throughout his collegiate career. As Matt Faye of Beaumont Enterprise details, Harding was an All-Southland Selection in each of his four years while leading the team to a conference championship each season.
This included a 2006-07 season in which Harding was named First-Team All-Southland. During that same season, he won medalist honors at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic hosted by Notre Dame, as Lamar’s official website explains. The current pro also majored in business while in school.
Harding’s First Made Cut in Major Came at 2019 Masters
Throughout his golf career, Harding has primarily played on tours aside from the PGA Tour. Prior to the 2019 Masters, he had taken part in just two other majors, with the first being the Open Championship in 2013 and second the PGA Championship in 2018. He failed to make the cut at either event.
Harding’s first cut at a major came at the Masters, and he did so by shooting a three-under 69 in each of the first two rounds. His six-under score heading into the weekend placed him inside of the top-10 and within one stroke of the leaders to begin the day.
But He Needed a Huge Run to Even Qualify for Masters
While Harding’s impressive play at the Masters stood out and grabbed plenty of attention, he barely made the field in the first place. As Kyle Schnitzer of the New York Post detailed, Harding was ranked No. 712 in the world at the end of the 2017 season, leaving the thought of playing in the Masters as a longshot at the time.
Thanks to some superb play over the next year or so, he made a huge rise in the rankings, jumping up to No. 85 with five victories since that point. A few of those wins included the Qatar Masters, his first European Tour title, along with one at the Doha Golf Club. It was a runner-up finish at an event in Kenya during March which helped push him just inside of the top 50 and into the Masters field.
Harding Has 10 Tour Victories, But None on PGA Tour
Still can’t describe how good this feels 💪🏻 @EuropeanTour winner 🤗
Along with the aforementioned victory at the Qatar Masters, Harding has picked up nine other tour victories in his career. This includes seven victories on the Sunshine Tour and two on the Asian Tour, both of which came during the 2018 season. His run of five victories in 2018 and 2019 snapped a skid of just over a year and a half without a win.
Harding’s first win on any tour came back in 2010 when he won the Vodacom Business Origins Final. He proceeded to pick up victories in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016 but has yet to win a PGA Tour event.
Harding Played Just Six Total PGA Tour Events Before Masters
Pumped for this wks @DellMatchPlay course is superb 👌🏻 some pretty decent golfers 🏌️ on display as well 👀
While Harding’s play on various tours has grabbed plenty of attention, he had very little experience on the PGA Tour prior to the 2019 Masters. As he told Matt Faye of the Beaumont Enterprise, having to adjust to playing on new courses was just a common theme and something he’s used to at this point.
“It’s pretty much how I’ve been playing for the last 15 months,” Harding said. “I’m seeing the golf course for the first time almost every week. So I’m not taking any real demons, any bad shots or any bad memories into them, I suppose.”
Before the Masters, Harding had six PGA Tour events to his name, two of which were the majors mentioned above which he missed the cut at. This season, Harding posted a T17 at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, along with a T43 at the CIMB Classic. He had another top-50 finish which came at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions this year, where he finished T46.
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Justin Harding: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know