PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Harris English may want to consider buying a Mega Millions lottery ticket.
English ended his day with a pair of perfect numbers for a wedge on his last two holes at the Stadium Course, leading to a pair of birdies to cap off a second round of 5-under 67 at The Players Championship.
‘I hit pitching wedge both times,’ he said. ‘On No. 17, I was trying to carry it 135 and carried it probably 137, and then on 18, I was trying to carry it 136.’
Focusing his work the last few weeks on wedge play, English saw the effort pay off on one of the Tour’s most intimidating finishes.
‘Golf is a crazy game,’ he said. ‘If you’re comfortable hitting shots and comfortable with the numbers, you’re probably going to hit good shots.’
The Georgia Bulldog is 7 under through 36 holes, succeeding on a Pete Dye course reminiscent of what he grew up playing.
‘I grew up on tree-lined golf courses and Bermuda greens, and that’s kind of what I’ve been used to all my life,’ he said. ‘Hilton Head had those and I played really well - my first top 10. I like to work the ball. That’s what I like to do, shape shots and get on some good, fast Bermuda greens.’
After that T-8 at the RBC Heritage, English was in a bit of a funk. A missed cut in New Orleans was sandwiched between two finishes no better than T-67. Having kept calm through that stretch, the rookie is again thriving.
‘The past couple of weeks, I haven’t played my best golf, but I’ve played patient and worked on some things,’ he said. ‘I kind of kept a level head, and it’s coming together thus far this week.’
