Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Harris English has relied on Eric Larson to serve as his caddie on the PGA Tour for close to a decade, but he’s been forced to find a new one for tournaments in the United Kingdom due to the latter’s criminal history. However, that may no longer be the case after Donald Trump intervened by handing out a presidential pardon.
In 2025, Harris English finished in second place when the British Open was held at Royal Portrush. Ramon Bescansa, who normally works as his putting coach, served as his caddie during the tournament, a change that came after the man who usually tends his bag was banned from entering the United Kingdom.
The caddie in question is Eric Larson, who’s worked with English since 2017 and had managed to attend the previous four iterations of the major without any issues. However, he encountered one due to a new immigration policy the U.K. rolled out in 2025 that allowed officials to deny an Electronic Travel Authority to applicants who’ve previously spent at least a year in prison.
Larson did that (and then some) more than two decades ago, as he was working as a PGA Tour caddie for Mark Calcavecchia when he was arrested and hit with federal charges for mailing shipments of cocaine from Florida to friends living in the Midwest.
He ultimately spent more than ten years in prison before being released in 2006, and Calcavecchia helped him mount a comeback by giving him his job back. He worked with a couple of other golfers before linking up with English in 2017, and they’ve remained a duo since then.
However, that has not been the case for tournaments in the United Kingdom over the past couple of years, although it appears that could change going forward.
Donald Trump gave Eric Larson a presidential pardon that could allow him to caddie at the British Open again
Larson has fully acknowledged he was responsible for the crime he was convicted of since being released, and it didn’t prevent him from traveling to Great Britain for The Open (and the Scottish Open) between 2021 and 2024.
However, things took a turn when the British government added Americans to the list of travelers who need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority at the start of 2025.
The document, which is designed to “prevent the arrival of those who present a threat,” is a formality for most visitors. However, that was not the case for Larson, who was denied entry due to his status as a prior offender who’d served at least a year in prison.
Larson reached out to the American ambassador to the United Kingdom and had letters that the R&A and the PGA Tour wrote on his behalf, but he was ultimately denied entry and was once again left on the outside looking in when English headed back to the British Open in 2026 (where he missed the cut a week after tying for 72nd at the Scottish Open).
However, it seems like there’s a chance he could make his grand return in 2027, as The New York Post reports he learned he received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump that was officially issued on September 3rd; the Commander-in-Chief reportedly learned about the situation when he hosted English and Larson for a round at Trump National last December.
It’s worth noting that pardons don’t technically nullify previous convictions, so Larson could theoretically face the same issue if he applies for entry to the United Kingdom in 2027 based on the current language in place for policing ETAs. However, it’s hard to imagine it’s going to hurt his prospects.