Harris English received a straightforward message from Justin Parsons last Wednesday: “You must quit being like everyone else”
The relaxed but diligent Georgian had taken all the usual procedures for a modern TOUR player to get better in the 4 years since his last triumph. English, 35, went to the gym to maintain his fitness thereby gradually growing longer. In an attempt to set himself up for a ten-year TOUR career, he recovered from a serious hip injury and adjusted his swing to relieve pressure going forward.
However, in his quest for progress, he lost sight of what earned him those four victories and what English swing coach Parsons thinks really sets him apart.
You must churn out competitive scores for me. Whether it was working or not, he always managed to shoot a higher score than he should have when he was at his best.
English took the lesson very seriously which was exemplified on Sunday at Torrey Pines.
English spent a large portion of the windy, challenging fourth round simply attempting to hang on, hitting just 4 fairways and 9 greens. His technique wasn’t flawless on this particular day, and even if it were, the circumstances would still result in low scores. Two weeks ago, English might not have prevailed.
This version did. English shot a valiant 1-over 73 to win the Farmers Insurance Open by 1 stroke over Sam Stevens, holding onto his first 54-hole lead in 4 years. Around him, other names appeared on the leaderboard, but the consistent English was the one that stood out. English won his 5th PGA TOUR title, his first since the 2021 Travellers Championship, after parring the final 12 holes to finish 8-under.
“You kind of lose your competitive spirit and the enjoyment of hitting different shots and shaping strokes when you fall into those ruts. I worked on various technique-related things for a large portion of the offseason. It was time to resume playing, according to Parsons.” English said.
The course’s small fairways, big rough, fast greens, and high winds make it impossible to regularly hit stock shots, so Torrey Pines requires that particular technique. The swing of a golf game is absent. You have to play golf. This week, Torrey Pines South’s average score was 73.6.
It’s the kind of arrangement that English people prefer. He has flourished in “U.S. Open tough” circumstances from his junior years. It’s neither a putting show nor a dart show. As English puts it, you must “play chess.”
“You have to slog out there, miss in the proper places, and make solid pars. That’s about all you’re trying to do.” English said.
At Torrey Pines, he has performed exceptionally well. In 2015, English lost to the Australian on the first playoff hole and finished 2nd to Jason Day. He competed in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines six years later, losing to Jon Rahm in third place. English has finished in the top 15 five times during his career at Torrey Pines.
That in a way made the last round on Saturday seem like a long-awaited victory. However, it was by no means a guarantee.
In February 2022, English had major surgery to fix a ruptured labrum in his right hip. When he returned to the game four months later, he was a very different golfer. According to Parsons, despite a successful 2023 effort, English didn’t fully recover to 100% until early 2024. English had to get used to a body that was much more agile in addition to regaining the strength in his right side.
“His rotation increased from 6 to 8 degrees to 30 degrees. The procedure was serious.” Parsons said.
The two worked on alignment and posture adjustments that would lessen the strain on English’s surgically repaired hip and better suit his post-surgery body. One of Parsons’ most diligent clients, English, swiftly and successfully incorporated the adjustments. A year earlier, he carded 11 top-25s to only four missed cuts and finished 57th in the FedExCup. However, Parsons was forced to give his session motivational talks because the high-end results were lacking. This swing practice were not enough to push him over the edge.
“Your competitiveness, focus, and untrainable qualities are what set you apart. You must also be authentic. You must cease being like everyone else” Parsons told English.
English let go of all the aspirations of hitting all the perfect Trackman statistics, swinging flawlessly this week, or seeming flawless on the plane. Taking the next tee box and making the shot he saw, he made the decision to play free. More than any stroke, he could rely on that when things got tough. He so maintained his composure despite hitting just one fairway in his first 13 holes.
English fell two strokes behind Andrew Novak after missing shots at the first and fifth holes, avoiding any explosions. However, after Novak bogeyed the seventh, eighth, and tenth holes, English recovered with a birdie at the sixth hole and took the lead again.
At the 18th hole, English was at 8-under and one stroke ahead of Stevens, who had recorded a Saturday-best 68 to take the clubhouse lead. English calmly punched out even though he missed the fairway, as was the case with many drives that day. English consistently two-putted for the win after hitting a wedge to the centre of the green from 120 yards out.
“You just need to finish the task ; it doesn’t need to look nice.” English said.
