PGA Tour pro Brian Harman shocks news conference attendees: "How do you thank someone like that?"

PGA Tour member Brian Harman has revealed a family friend is in a coma after preventing his son from drowning. 

The former Open champion opened up on the ordeal ahead of the RSM Classic this week. 

Harman said the upsetting incident happened whilst he was away in China last month playing the Macao Open. 

His wife, Kelly, and their family friend Cathy Dowdy took their children to Ponte Vedre Beach in Florida. 

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.

"We get them here, it's not something that's abnormal, but this was an abnormally bad one.

"Cathy Dowdy, a family friend – really, we call them family friends but they're family – she went in the water after my son. He's six, [but she] 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."

CPR was performed on Dowdy while they waited for the emergency services. 

She is currently in hospital near her home. 

Harman continued: "I wanted to use whatever platform I have to bring awareness to what Cathy did, what Crane did.

"They disregarded themselves, went into the water, saved my son and how do you thank people like that?

"I don't know other than to just say what you think. 

"I think that bravery and doing something like that for people who aren't your blood is just the most beautiful thing you can do in this life.

"So Cathy's still hurt real bad. She's up in Savannah and we're thinking about her."

A GoFundMe page has already raised more than $75,000. 

The RSM Classic gets underway on Thursday. The defending champion is Ludvig Aberg.

Aberg appeared blissfully unaware of the seismic changes that are coming to the PGA Tour in 2026.

Read more about that here.

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