American golfer Harris English could be without his right-hand man for next week’s Open Championship.
The PGA Tour star, 35, will take to the fairways of Royal Portrush next week in the hope of hoisting the coveted Claret Jug at the final major of the year.
However, his caddie, Eric Larson, may not be by his side in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland to help navigate the Dunluce Links.
While English is already in the UK for this week’s Scottish Open, Larson is stuck at home without being able to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa for travel to the UK, a regulation that now applies to Americans.
Thirty years ago, Larson pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest, spending 10 years and three months in prison before being released from a halfway house in June 2006.
But now, his past has seemingly denied him entry into the UK with Larson needing an exemption to the country’s new ETA rules.
American golfer Harris English is set to play The Open at Royal Portrush next week
But the PGA Tour star could be without his bagman Eric Larson (left) by his side
In the meantime, Larson said he has hired London-based Bates Well for legal services, and he has gone through Miami-based VSF Global to fast-track a standard six-month visa. He applied for that two weeks ago and hasn’t heard anything.
Larson said he didn’t realize he needed the ETA visa until the US Open, and when he filled out the form he was denied. Grounds for refusal include an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense in the UK or overseas for which they served 12 months or more in prison.
‘I just want to get to the British Open to help Harris,’ Larson said Tuesday evening from his home in Florida.
Following his release, Mark Calcavecchia hired Larson 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 in 2021.
‘I guess the United Kingdom doesn’t look highly on his past,’ English said Tuesday at The Renaissance Club. ‘And apparently it’s a work in progress.’
English said he didn’t become aware of Larson’s plight until right after he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship three weeks ago.
The world No 19 reached out to Warren Stephens, the ambassador to the UK 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 (Operation New Hope) 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.’
The longtime caddie was denied entry to the UK following a 30-year-old drug offence
Larson began caddying for the world No 19 in 2017 after Mark Calcavecchia got him on his feet
Joe Etter is filling in as English’s caddie – for now. 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 Open next week at Royal Portrush.
‘Joe was my Plan B,’ English, who currently sits at 10th in the US standings for the Ryder Cup, said. ‘Now we’re going to have to get a new Plan B.’
Despite the days until the major rapidly ticking by, English is still holding out hope that someone will pave the way for Larson to get the visa he needs for UK entry.
‘Everything has been tight-lipped,’ Larson said. ‘Everybody is frustrated.’
Larson has worked the last four years at the British Open for English. He worked the 2008 and 2009 Opens for Kim, the next two Opens for Overton, a Ryder Cup in Wales for Overton and he worked the British Open and Senior British Open in 2013 for Calcavecchia.
And now he’s in danger of being left out as he waits for an answer, and English waits on his caddie of eight years.
‘It’s just a matter of the right people seeing it,’ English said of the letters written on Larson’s behalf. ‘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?’
