Harris English embraces ‘grind’ at Torrey Pines in gritty Farmers Insurance Open win

Harris English has knocked on the door at Torrey Pines before.

The 35-year-old held the 54-hole lead at Torrey Pines in 2015 but lost to Jason Day in a playoff. Six years later, English found himself in contention at the 2021 U.S. Open but eventually finished third behind champion Jon Rahm and runner-up Louis Oosthuizen.

On Saturday, English’s time to kick down the door at one of his favorite courses on the PGA Tour finally arrived. English started the final round of the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open with a one-shot lead over Andrew Novak and needed every ounce of craft and grit to survive an exacting test and avoid being a bridesmaid again at the iconic La Jolla, Calif., course.

English stumbled out of the gates early. He bogeyed no. 1 and no. 5 to drop one shot back of Novak. But English got one back with a bride at the sixth and then steadied himself while everyone else faded down the stretch.

Well, everyone but Sam Stevens.

Stevens went out early and posted a 4-under-par 68 to get in the clubhouse at 7-under, putting pressure on English coming home.

But English never blinked despite not having his best stuff on Saturday. He hit just four fairways and eight greens in regulation. He ranked 62nd in the field in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee in Round 4 (-1.032). But he was 7-for-9 scrambling (he went 6-for-6 after the bogey at the fifth) and averaged 1.89 putts per green in regulation. English made 11 straight pars from no. 7-17, including a clutch two-putt from 56 feet at the 17th.

English arrived at the par-5 18th needing a 12th straight par to secure his first win since 2021.

As had been the theme all day, English was wild off the tee, hooking it low and left. His ball crossed the cart path and was blocked out by a eucalyptus tree. English took the conservative route and pitched it down the fairway, leaving himself 122 yards with his third. Needing one final crisp full swing to etch his name on a trophy he has coveted, English pulled sand wedge from his bag and stuck his third shot to 24 feet. English then lagged his birdie putt to seven inches to ensure himself a trip back to the winner’s circle for the first time in 1,308 days.

“Yeah, it’s always a journey,” English said in his post-round interview with CBS’ Amanda Balionis after finishing one shot clear of Stevens at 8-under. “I’m 35 now. I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and it never gets easier. I enjoy the grind of it. I love being out here on the PGA Tour, and I love doing stuff like this. This is what we play for.

“I have so much respect for this game and so much respect for players out here. It’s hard to win. I might have looked calm out there on the course but inside your emotions are going crazy. I just know how hard it is to win and it’s so much fun and you got to soak it in when you do it.”

Now a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, English always thought he’d find a way to win one at Torrey Pines.

On Saturday, as the winds whipped and everyone around him stumbled, English was able to steel his nerves and grind out a win 10 years in the making.

“I love hard setups, hard conditions,” English said. “I’ve played well at this golf course in the past. Got close at the U.S. Open here. Lost in a playoff here. I love how this course sets up for me. I love how, as me and my man [caddie Eric Larson] say, ‘you got to put your mouthpiece. I felt like I did that today. Played to the right spots and just kept myself in it. Kept plugging along.”

English just kept chopping Saturday, and when Torrey Pines had finished dismantling the field, he was the only one left standing because he was the one who embraced the test the most.