Harris English's caddie is denied a U.K. visa over his past drug conviction
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Harris English is spending the next two weeks in the United Kingdom for the Scottish Open and British Open, two tournaments that could be critical in his bid to play in another Ryder Cup.
His caddie, Eric Larson, is stuck at home without being able to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the U.K., a regulation that now applies to Americans.
Grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offence in the U.K. or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison.
Thirty years ago, Larson pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest. Though he wasn't a user or big-time dealer, he spent 10 years and three months in prison and was released from a halfway house in June 2006.
Mark Calcavecchia hired him back and got him on his feet. Since then, Larson worked for three players at the Ryder Cup — Anthony Kim in 2008, Jeff Overton in 2010 and most recently English, with whom he has worked the last eight years.
'I guess the United Kingdom doesn't look highly on his past,' English said Tuesday at The Renaissance Club before his pro-am round. 'And apparently it's a work in progress.'
English, who is No. 19 in the world and 10th in the U.S. standings for the Ryder Cup, said he didn't become aware of Larson's plight until right after he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago.
English said he reached out to Warren Stephens, the ambassador to the U.K. who put him in touch with his chief of staff.
'They wrote a letter. The R&A wrote a letter. The PGA Tour wrote a letter. A charity event Eric works for in the States wrote a letter. It's not for a lack of effort,' English said. 'I think it could be sitting on someone's desk at the government somewhere.'
Joe Etter is filling in — for now — as his caddie. Etter, who started out working for English more than a decade ago, currently works for Davis Thompson, who is not playing the Scottish Open.
Thompson, however, received the final spot in the field for the British Open next week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.).
'Joe was my Plan B,' English said. 'Now we're going to have to get a new Plan B.'
English is holding out hope that someone will pave the way for Larson to get the ETA visa he needs for U.K. entry. Larson has worked the last four years at the British Open for English and previously for Overton and Kim.
'It's just a matter of the right people seeing it,' he said. 'I didn't understand how complicated the process was. Someone could see this guy had something in his past 30 years ago, he's been fine the last 20. How long does this stay with him?'
End of a streak
Hale Irwin is the only player to win a PGA Tour Champions event four consecutive years, a record that will remain intact because of scheduling.
The Dick's Sporting Goods Open was held in August last year. The previous two years it had been held in late June. It moved this year to July 11-13, which ultimately put an end to Padraig Harrington's bid to win the same tournament four years in a row.
The Irishman is sticking to his plan of three straight weeks in the U.K.
He'll be at the Scottish Open this week, eligible through the European tour from its 'Legends Category.' Harrington then will go over to Royal Portrush for the British Open as a past champion, and then Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the Senior British Open.
Irwin actually won the Turtle Back Championship in Hawaii five times in a row — 2000 through 2003, and then in 2005. The tournament was not held in 2004.
Glover's outlook
Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, outspoken as ever, sounds to be a bit conflicted when it comes to any form of unification with the PGA Tour and the defectors to Saudi-funded LIV Golf.
There is Glover the player who doesn't want to see them return. And there is Glover the PGA Tour member who wants to see the tour grow and realizes a small number of big names on LIV can help that cause.
'We have to clarify 'we' at some point,' he said last week on his his SiriusXM PGA Tour radio show.
Glover said he doesn't blame anyone for deciding to cash in on the Saudi money and join LIV. But speaking for himself: 'I don't think they should be back there. I don't want them here.'
'As a PGA Tour player and somebody that dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour, and have poured my heart and soul into this tour and game for 21 seasons, I don't want somebody that chose another path, and a path of less resistance,' he said. 'I don't want them back here competing and taking part of my pie and these kids' pie that are trying to make it now.'
And then he shifted to the broader term of 'we,' meaning the tour and the fans everything else.
'The top four, five, six players over there, if they were playing on the PGA Tour, would benefit all of us because our TV deal in 2030 would be great, would be bigger,' he said. 'That's the big question right now in my opinion. Does it behoove all of us as tour members, who have equity now, to grow our sport by bringing some of those guys back? I'm having a hard time with it.'
Winners and stars
Winning on the PGA Tour moves a player into the top category when it comes to tee times, although it's clear there is a distinction between a PGA Tour winner and a needle mover.
Brian Campbell is the latest example.
He won the Mexico Open in late February for his first PGA Tour title. Over the next five months at PGA Tour events, Campbell was never in the same weekday group as anyone from the top 30 in the world ranking. Only three of them were among the top 50 — Davis Thompson (No. 48) and Byeong Hun An (No. 32) at the Cognizant Classic, and Sam Burns (No. 39) at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Campbell now is one of five players with at least two individual titles this year after winning the John Deere Classic.
Divots
The PGA Tour's newest tournament has a title sponsor. The Bank of Utah Championship will be at Black Desert Resort the last week in October in southern Utah. It made its debut last year as the Black Desert Championship. ... Michael Kim was added to the British Open field from the world ranking. This marks the first time in his career he plays all four majors in the same season. ... The LPGA is expanding the pathway to the Epson Tour for top college players with the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway (LCAP). Starting next summer, it will award 10 graduating seniors with some form of Epson Tour status and Q-school exemptions.
Stat of the week
Americans hold seven of the top 10 spots in the world ranking.
Final word
'I remember talking about some sort of mountain and climbing up it. This is a steep, steep mountain now.' — Xander Schauffele on reaching No. 1 in the world.
___
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
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