Harris English gets second PGA Tour win at Mayakoba
Harris English (Courtesy: Zimbio.com)
Harris English fired the best round of anyone on Sunday, a 6-under par 65, en route to a come from behind win at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
What Happened
English entered the day tied for second place at 15-under par with Kevin Stadler and Rory Sabbatini, one shot behind the lead of Sweden’s Robert Karlsson. English would join Stadler and Karlsson in the final group after third round play was completed early on Sunday morning. With the course still soft thanks to the four inches of rain that fell on Thursday, the players were playing lift, clean and place, so a low score on Sunday was going to be needed from someone with the easier conditions.
Stadler was cold from the very beginning, with bogeys on two of his first three holes, while Sabbatini had just four pars on the front and still ended up even through nine. Meanwhile, Karlsson and English were both 3-under after their opening nine, and English was hot on the back, with birdies on three of his first four holes. Karlsson was playing steady golf until he got to the 12th where it all fell apart, playing the next three holes in 4-over par. Brian Stuard set the clubhouse lead at 17-under par, but English was well ahead of that and he didn’t give anything back the rest of the way, ending at 21-under par and a four-shot win.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Harris English -21
- 2. Brian Stuard -17
- T3. Chris Stroud -16
- T3. Jason Bohn -16
- T3. Rory Sabbatini -16
What The Win Means For English
It’s the second win for the 24-year old English in the last five months, as he was able to capture the St. Jude back in June. He’ll move to 54th in the Official World Golf Rankings, and I think he’s putting himself into the conversation, albeit as a longshot, for the American Ryder Cup Team in September.
Of course, this is the Golf Channel doing what they usually do and focusing solely on the PGA Tour and ignoring Matteo Manassero, but the point is still well taken that English is flying under the radar a little bit, even if the field here at Mayakoba was not exactly of the best quality. English was always a guy that the veterans on the PGA Tour watched on the range and in practice rounds and said that it was only a matter of time before the wins started piling up. With two of them in the last five months, that certainly seems to be the case.
Robert Karlsson
Karlsson’s not going to want to hear it right now, but he’s had a good couple of weeks here. He received a sponsor’s exemption into the McGladrey Classic last week and after he made birdie on the 18th, and Stadler three-putted, Karlsson got into the top-10, meaning that he was able to play this week at Mayakoba. For a guy who nearly quit the game last year after battling the yips, these kinds of finishes are really important, even if it is mostly a mental thing. Karlsson’s not some run of the mill player either, as he does have eleven European Tour victories and two Ryder Cup appearances. He was tied for the lead with eight holes to play in a PGA Tour event, so there are some positives to take out of this, even if he blew up a little bit when it mattered most.
Other Notes
- Notables to miss the cut: Robert Garrigus
- Other notable finishes: Charles Howell III (T6), Freddie Jacobson (T12), Davis Love III, Tim Clark and Camilo Villegas (T36) and Brian Gay (T45).
- Pretty sure that Kevin Stadler is that new guy on the PGA Tour who gets into contention every week and then fades on Sunday. Two weeks in a row here, and it happened a few other times in 2013 as well.
- The PGA Tour will now, finally, take a break and return in the new year. The next time a PGA Tour sanctioned event takes place will be the first week of January, where you’ll see Harris English and the 2013 winners at Kapalua for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
AdamSarson.com 