Who is Justin Harding?

Who is Justin harding?
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With a solid showing at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, Neil Tappin asks who is Justin Harding?

For many golf fans the name Justin Harding is unfamiliar but the South African has moved serenely into contention at the 2019 Open Championship. His strong pedigree in the game would suggest he is capable of a shock here at Portrush but Who is Justin Harding?

Since turning professional in 2010 (off a handicap of plus 6), the 33 year-old from Cape Town has become a prolific winner around the world. His grounding within the paid ranks came on the Sunshine Tour where he won seven events between 2010 and 2018.

He then played on the Asian Tour and quickly racked up two more wins in Indonesia and Thailand, also both in 2018.

Open Championship Weather Forecast

With the second of these wins he moved inside the world’s top 100.

The South African is clearly not afraid of winning because in March of this year he captured the Qatar Masters on the European Tour. He beat a collection of nine players by two shots to claim the 259,000 euro winner’s cheque. With that win, Harding progressed to 52nd in the world and gained an invaluable invite to the Masters.

Royal Portrush Course Guide

Indeed, it was at Augusta National in April that Harding came into view for the first time for many golf fans who then began to ask 'who is Justin Harding?'. The 33 year-old finished tied for 12th and for a period actually led the event.

Since that impressive Augusta debut, Harding's form has somewhat fallen away. Indeed, heading into this year's Open Championship, he had missed three cuts in a row at the US Open, Irish Open and Scottish Open. Something however has clearly clicked however and with his second round 65, his very best form seemed to return.

If you are looking for an outsider to back at Royal Portrush, Harding, who at the end of 2017 was ranked 712th in the world, might be a good option.

Neil Tappin
Editor

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X