'Sad to give back member of family Claret Jug'

Brian Harman was connected his workplace successful nan depths of wintertime erstwhile nan truth he was Open champion really sank in.

After nan American dominated nan section to triumph by six shots astatine Royal Liverpool past July, he said he was looking guardant to being "on nan tractor mowing nan grass" astatine his Georgia home.

And it was while location he said he "just had a infinitesimal and stopped".

"I was connected my four-wheeler and I recovered myself successful that infinitesimal reasoning of nan Open Championship and that pleasant space," Harman told BBC Sport.

"When you do get a spot of solitude, that’s erstwhile your mind goes to pleasant memories."

The 37-year-old conceded it was "sad" to person to manus backmost nan Claret Jug to nan R&A connected Monday greeting arsenic he arrived astatine Royal Troon for nan 152nd staging of golf's oldest championship.

"It’s tough," added nan left-hander, who said he "drank immoderate unusually costly vino and immoderate unusually exceptional bourbon" retired of nan trophy.

"It becomes a personnel of nan family because it goes everyplace pinch you for a year. It leaves a spot of a gap. But it makes you much motivated to drawback it for different year."

No golfer has won successive Opens since Ireland's Padraig Harrington successful 2007 and 2008.

Harman was besides asked astir nan prize money for this week's championship, which has accrued by $500,000 overall, pinch an other $100,000 for nan winner.

The champion will cod $3.1m (£2.38m) from a $17m fund, pinch nan R&A saying it was "concerned" complete nan sustainability of nan game.

When asked if he would play this tourney if he sewage paid less, aliases possibly thing astatine all, he replied: "I'm not judge everyone would, but I would."

The Open's prize money is dwarfed by that of nan US Open. Bryson DeChambeau earned $4.3m for winning that awesome title successful June - an summation of $700,000 connected nan erstwhile year.

Xander Schauffele picked up $3.3m for winning nan US PGA Championship successful May, while Scottie Scheffler earned $3.7m erstwhile he won his 2nd Masters title successful April.

The emergence successful prize money has followed LIV Golf's emergence successful 2022. The Saudi-funded circuit has attracted respective of nan world's champion players, offering $20m purses astatine its events.

That prompted nan PGA Tour to present 'signature' tournaments that person akin levels of backing successful an effort to extremity its players jumping crossed nan divide. Its flagship tournament, nan Players Championship, has $4.5m for nan winner.

The Open's prize money has accrued by $5.5m since 2021, pinch nan winner's cheque worthy $1m more. By measurement of comparison, nan US Open victor received $2m much this twelvemonth than 3 years ago.

Chief executive Martin Slumbers said nan R&A "has a work to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt maintaining The Open's position successful nan world game, providing nan costs required for governance and processing amateur and recreational play successful 146 countries internationally".

"We person to make choices if we want to proceed to build connected nan important maturation successful information that is basal for golf’s future," he said.

"We stay concerned astir nan effect important increases successful men's master prize money are having connected nan cognition of nan athletics and its semipermanent financial sustainability.

"We are wished to enactment pinch nan interests of nan world crippled successful mind arsenic we prosecute our extremity of ensuring play continues to thrive successful 50 years' time."