Harris English was overlooked on the list of top players that signed for the PGA Championship without knowing if they would be playing at Southern Hills.
Last year, English, a two-time winner, broke into the top ten in the global rankings for the first time and made his Ryder Cup debut in September. However, he hasn’t played since the Sony Open in January while he recovers from labrum surgery.
He returned from Vail, Colorado, where he underwent right hip surgery.
From his home on St. Simons Island, Georgia, English stated, “They liked where everything was at.” “It appears that there is a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel.”
To increase his stamina, English has been taking lengthy walks with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and has been practicing short irons under the supervision of Justin Parsons, his swing coach. The objective right now is to compete in the PGA Championship, which takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 19 to 22.
He’d prefer not to return to a major, but, as English put it, “you have to start someplace.” I’ll do everything I can to win.”
Surgical intervention was unavoidable.
English said he’s had problems with his right hip since college, which he treated with dry needle therapy. He got it checked in Vail during his rookie year on the PGA Tour. Doctors described it as a femur bone growth, he said.
“I underwent PRP injections as a band-aid to keep the inflammation down,” English explained. “He stated there will come a moment when this wouldn’t work.” “I knew the time would come when I’d have to have surgery.”
Last year, he began to have back pain. After two holes of practice, he was forced to withdraw from The Players Championship because he couldn’t hit a 3-wood much further than 100 yards.
English finished third at the US Open, won the Travelers Title in a playoff, and lost a late lead in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, but he made it through the major championship season. He indicated his “usual” pain level was approximately a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. He worked hard with his trainers to avoid future back problems, and it paid off when he won the Ryder Cup.
English competed in both Hawaii tournaments before taking a three-week break for rest and treatment. When he returned to Phoenix to test equipment at Ping headquarters, his body wouldn’t let him hit more than 20 balls.
English stated, “I was ready to nip it in the bud.”
Valentine’s Day was the day of surgery.
“My wife was a strong woman. When I couldn’t walk, she stepped in as a nurse for a few weeks,” he explained. “It was tough missing the Masters and Match Play, as well as other competitions I enjoy.” But I was planning on competing in and winning golf tournaments for the next eight to ten years.”
He hopes it will begin at Southern Hills, where English intends to stay as long as he is not in pain. He’ll wait if you don’t.
