Harris

English

English arrived with top 20s in three of seven tries at Colonial Country Club while also landing top 15s in two of his last three lead-in starts. “It’s been trending in the right direction. Played good in some elevated events, and coming to a place this week that I really, really enjoy. I love the town. I love this golf course, and I’ve some good finishes here. I think it’s trending in the right direction.” He all it all working today as he walked off the course gaining at least 0.8 strokes in all four categories of strokes gained. Speaking on why he likes the layout this week, he had this to say, “It reminds me of home growing up in South Georgia. The doglegs, a placement golf course. You don’t have to overpower it. You kind of think your way, play chess out here.”

English entered the week with strong putting stats at Quail Hollow Club but not much else to write home about. This week, he gained 4.9 strokes putting (11th) but also caught fire with the irons, gaining 7.5 strokes on approach which was second-best in the field. This is his second podium finish of the season (T2 at Arnold Palmer Invitational) and now finds himself at 35th in the FedExCup standings.

Zalatoris stuffed his first two shots inside of five feet but walked off 1DOWN after two holes. That has been the story of his week so far, really struggling with the flat stick. English was steady with five birdies on the first 11 holes. “I kind of changed my mindset coming into today, trying to be the aggressor. There’s a lot of birdies that can be had out here. Jumped on early, made a good putt on the first hole, and got off to the races and played really solidly. I think the last hole was probably the first green I missed. Just kept my foot on the gas and played really solid.” English is now 1-1 for the week while Andrew Putnam leads Group 7 (2-0). Those two will face off tomorrow but English would still need help from Zalatoris (beating Ryan Fox) if he wants to advance out of the group stage.

The Georgia Bulldog circled just 12 birdies all week at Bay Hill (T49) but managed to finish just one shot off the winning score of Kurt Kitayama. The recipe was bogey avoidance as he didn’t swallow a single bogey over the weekend. “I feel like I putted really well all week. Probably inside 6 or 8 feet, I don’t know how many putts I missed. But it was great. I love this style of golf. It’s really difficult. You got to play chess out here and pick your spots to be aggressive. Man, it was a lot of fun. I love playing in U.S. Opens and this is as close to a U.S. Open setup as we play on the PGA TOUR. It was a lot of fun.” His feelings bare out in the stats as he walked off the course ranked first in strokes gained putting for the week (+7.5 SGP). English has now finished T26 or better in four of his last five tries at Bay Hill.

There weren’t any delays today but an over-allotted field (129 golfers instead of 120) didn’t make it any easier to squeeze everyone through before sunset. One golfer that did turn in their card just in time was Harris English who came out firing with a 5-under 66 on day one. He piped 10-of-14 fairways and gained 2.969 strokes on approach (5th) to get the job done. He was arriving on the heels of three straight missed cuts and three straight missed cuts at Riviera Country Club so it may have been tough for gamers to see this kind of round coming.

The Georgia Bulldog got the job done with irons and putting. He walked off the course ranked top 10 in strokes gained approach and putting. Highlights included a 151-yard approach to 21 inches at the par-4 12th and a 39'9" birdie blast at the following hole. “Even though it’s been, what, over a month, probably six weeks since the RSM, it takes a little while to get back into tournament mode and stick to your routines. It’s a different feeling. Way more adrenaline here than practice rounds, and it’s good to kind of feel your way around a little bit and then find something and stick to it.” English has a trio of top 10s in 10 tries at the Sony Open and could be on his way to another this week.

The Georgia Bulldog played just 12 events last season due to injury but he’s already halfway to that total this fall. “After getting hurt last year, having surgery in February, I mean, feel like I’m ready to go. Playing as much as possible and trying to get some rounds under my belt. That’s the biggest thing about taking three or four months off of competitive golf is you kind of lose the competitive edge and the little things in this game that make it so difficult.” He’s flashed hints of form, most noticably a T9 at the Fortinet Championship. While the local resident is very comfortable at Sea Island, it hasn’t always translated to success at this event, arriving with a 5-for-10 record at the RSM, with two of those doubling as top 15s.

The Georgia Bulldog has struggled to find consistency since returning from injury but showing hints with top 40s in three of his first four starts of the season including a T9 in Napa. “You’ve got to give yourself time to heal and time to get your game back because losing three, four, five months of competitive golf is a lot and it took me a while to get back. But obviously have some good vibes at this place, won back in 2013, had some really good finishes here and just love it. Love the atmosphere, love the resort here, so I’m excited about the next few days.” English has top 5s in each of his last two trips to El Camaleon and also won the 2014 edition. Today, he posted ho-hum ball-striking stats (T60 in fairways hit and T101 in GIR) but warmed up the putter to climb the board and find himself just two shots off the torrid pace set by Will Gordon.

The 32-year-old is making his third start since undergoing hip surgery for a torn labrum back in February. His first was a missed cut at the Memorial three weeks ago, this after a 19-week rehab, and his next was a T61 at last week’s U.S. Open on 17-over 297 (73-69-78-77). After today’s seven-birdie two-bogey effort, he had this to say about the hip (link below): “Yeah, the hip is doing better. The toughest thing is walking and playing. It’s getting better and better, and I feel like the more I play competitive rounds out here, it’s just getting stronger.” When the Georgia alum won here last year, his most recent of four TOUR titles in 276 events, he was T20 (4 back) at halfway, T6 (2 back) at the three-quarter mark, and eventually prevailed in a 2-man, 8-hole playoff over Kramer Hickok on 13-under total (67-68-67-65).

English did not impress with his ball-striking stats today, splitting 8-of-14 fairways en route to 13 GIR. From there, he 3.1 strokes around-the-green (1st) and another 0.8 strokes putting, Highlights included a 45-footer for birdie at the fifth and a 43'3" putt rolled in from off the green at the 10th. The Georgia Bulldog had surgery on Valentine’s Day but said before the week that he’s getting closer to 100 percent. Gamers may have been hesitant to pull the trigger but he’ll certainly be attracting more eyeballs if he can toss together a few more rounds like today.