Harris English finished second at last weekend’s British Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, four strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
He did it without his regular caddie – Eric Larson, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens. Larson was unable to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the United Kingdom, a regulation that now applies to American citizens. The denial came because Larson served more than 12 months in jail for a drug charge 30 years ago.
“It doesn’t make any sense because I’ve been to the U.K. 10 times to caddie in the British Open and the Ryder Cup since I got out of prison,” Larson told The Palm Beach Post last week from his home. “I just want to be there to help Harris.”
Here are 5 things to know about Eric Larson:
How much did Eric Larson lose by not caddying at the Open?
Not being allowed to caddie for English at the Open cost Larson about $135,000. English earned $1.759 million for finishing second. Top caddies such as Larson typically earn 8 percent (10 percent for a win).
Larson could recoup more than half of those losses because English improved from eighth to sixth in the FedExCup standings. If he remains there with two tournaments left, English will earn $3.4 million in the Comcast Tour Top 10 bonus pool (as opposed to $2.4 million for finishing eighth). Theoretically, that would be an extra $80,000 for Larson, who’s not complaining.
Considering English had made $5.5 million this year before heading to the UK, including a win, Larson has earned more than $500,000 this season. And that doesn’t include the Top 10 bonus or what Larson earns in the highly-lucrative FedExCup Playoffs.
Eric Larson moved to Palm Beach County to play golf
Larson moved to West Palm Beach in 1979, playing on the Palm Beach State College golf team for a year, hoping to go to a four-year university and eventually play on the PGA Tour. He joined Bear Lakes Country Club, and soon realized his talents would be better served as a caddie than on the course competing against the pros.
Larson also on the bag for Mark Calcavecchia, Anthony Kim, Jeff Overton
Besides English, Larson has caddied for three other PGA Tour golfers in the Tour Championship: Mark Calcavecchia (2007), Anthony Kim (2008) and Jeff Overton (2010).
How many tournaments has Harris English won with Eric Larson caddying?
English and Larson have been together for more than eight years and won three PGA Tour events – the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2025 that earned English $1.67 million, and the Travelers Championship ($1.33M) and the Sentry Tournament of Champions ($1.34M), both via playoffs and both in 2021.
Why did Eric Larson spend time in prison?
Larson was indicted in 1993 by Tennessee officials for conspiracy to sell cocaine. He was acquitted in that case, but was indicted again for a case in Michigan. The Michigan case became a federal charge since the drug crossed state line. After he was convicted, the judge sentenced Larson to 13 years in federal prison, five years of probation and a $25,000 fine.
Larson was released from prison in late 2005. He started working in the Bear Lakes’ bag room during his probation, which was reduced to 20 months for good behavior. That allowed him to return to caddying.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Five things to know about Eric Larson, who could not caddie for Harris English at British Open
Reporting by Nick Pugliese, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
