Add The New York Post on Google Harris English will once again be missing his right-hand man at the British Open.
The American golfer’s caddie, Eric Larson, will not be able to enter the United Kingdom for the tournament due to his inability to obtain a new Electronic Travel Authority visa to enter the country.
The ETA has been a requirement for American citizens to travel to the UK since January 2025.
Harris English of the USA in action during the Pro Am event prior to the Travelers Championship 2026 Getty Images Larson pleaded guilty to selling cocaine to friends in 1995 and spent 10 years and three months in prison. He was released from a halfway house in 2006. Grounds for denying an ETA include a conviction of a criminal offense, whether in the UK or overseas, leading to 12 or more months spent in prison.
It’s the second consecutive year Larson has been prevented from entering the UK. Last year, Larson claimed he was unaware he needed an ETA to enter the country until around a month before he was set to fly out, and scrambled to acquire one only to be denied.
English was outraged over his caddie’s inability to be with him for the Scottish and British Opens.
“I don’t know why all of a sudden he’s not able to come over. He’s put a lot of time and effort into it. He has so much credibility…it just seems that he’s still being punished for something he did a long time ago, and to me, he paid his price spending 10 years in prison, and he’s still being hurt for that, and he’s gotten his life turned around,” English told Today’s Golfer.
English also told Today’s Golfer that Larson was far more prepared to acquire an ETA this year. He hired a lawyer and paid for his application to be expedited, but was told the day before his flight out that he had been denied.
Harris English of the United States selects a club from their bag on the 14th hole during the first round of the Travelers Championship 2026 Getty Images Despite Larson’s absence last year, English had his best performance at the Open, finishing second behind Scottie Scheffler.
The Scottish Open tees off this week and the British — the final major of the year — next week.
