Donald Trump has pardoned Harris English’s longtime caddie, Eric Larson, whose cocaine conviction kept him away from the golfer’s past two British Opens.
“I got a chance now,” Larson told the New York Post in an interview published September 19.
English said Trump called them with the news after signing the September 3 pardon. Larson had asked for it in January, then followed up in May when he still hadn’t heard back.
Larson, 66, returned to caddying after his release from prison in 2006 and has worked with English since 2017. He had traveled to Britain for tournaments before his record stopped him from making the trip last year.
English Had to Leave Larson Behind for Two Summers
Larson was preparing for a July 5 departure in 2025 when he applied for the U.K.’s Electronic Travel Authorisation. He told the Post he had learned about the requirement during the week of the U.S. Open. His application was refused because of his conviction. English, the PGA Tour and the R&A tried to help him secure an exemption, Reuters reported, but he missed the Scottish Open and British Open.
English took putting coach Ramon Bescansa to Royal Portrush and opened with a 67. Asked about Larson after the round, English said they had been texting earlier in the week and he expected a message from his caddie that day, Golf Digest reported. Back home, Larson was watching. “I’m rooting for him more than anyone could ever imagine,” he told the Post.
English finished second, four shots behind Scottie Scheffler, and earned $1.759 million. When the U.K. tournaments came around again in 2026, Larson had hired a lawyer and paid for expedited processing. He was refused entry the day before his flight, according to the Post’s account of English’s interview with Today’s Golfer.
“I don’t know why all of a sudden he’s not able to come over,” English said in that interview. He questioned why Larson was still being kept out after serving his sentence and rebuilding his life.
Larson Submitted Prison Records and Letters With His Request
A federal judge sentenced Larson in December 1995 to 156 months in prison, five years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He served more than a decade.
Larson already knew Trump through his work for golfers Anthony Kim and Jeff Overton. But he told the Post he wanted his pardon application judged on what he had done since his conviction. He sent prison records and letters of support through the Justice Department’s pardon office.
His May follow-up included information from his U.K. visa application. Larson told Bob Harig’s Daily Drive that the paperwork reached White House legal counsel. Harig reported that efforts to get him back into Britain had involved more than $22,000 in legal fees and support from golf organizations.
English Wants Larson Back at the Scottish Open and British Open
English told the Post he hoped the pardon would allow Larson to make those trips again. British officials still have to decide whether to admit him.
The Justice Department says a pardon does not erase a conviction; both remain on the record. Under Home Office guidance, a foreign pardon generally does not change how immigration officials assess a conviction and sentence. They must still consider them under the usual criminality rules.
Larson has continued working for English in the United States. He told the Post he wants to stay on the bag: “As long as I can still caddy, I’ll caddy.”