Harris English clearly relishes a challenge. When he faced months of rehabilitation after hip surgery, he says he welcomed it. When he encounters ferocious wind or devilish course setups at his beloved Torrey Pines, he embraces the idea of thriving when par equals success.
And when English had to protect a one-shot lead in daunting conditions on that coastal course Saturday, he methodically put in the work necessary to grind out a win. “Doesn´t have to look pretty,” he said. “But I just had to get the job done.”
English held off hard-charging Sam Stevens to win the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot, securing his fifth career PGA Tour victory with a 1-over 73 in challenging weather.
English finished his first tour win since 2021 at 8-under 280. Stevens began the day six shots off the lead, but surged into contention with a 68 for the best final round in this edition of a tournament with a tradition of furious final-day rallies.
Stevens was playing six groups ahead, but his impressive number didn’t rattle the 35-year-old English in a round played amid clouds, chilly temperatures and a strong wind blowing across the South Course in a different direction than it did in previous rounds.
English checked the scoreboard to know exactly what he needed to do. Using the same putter he first picked up as a senior at the University of Georgia in 2011, English steadied his nerves and calmly finished with 12 consecutive pars, never allowing Stevens atop the leaderboard.
“I knew it was going to be a tough day today, but I love that,” English said. “I love this golf course when it plays really tough. I knew with the wind, you´re probably not going to get somebody … coming up and throwing a 65, 66 out here today. So as a leader coming into the final round, you kind of like that. It´s going to be a grind, and you´re going to miss fairways, miss greens, but you´ve got to miss them in the right spot.”
English was businesslike to the end: He put his tee shot on the 18th into the rough, but got back into the fairway before putting his 115-yard approach shot squarely on the green. He two-putted for the victory, rolling his 25-footer to 7 inches for a tap-in.
“It´s hard to win,” English said. “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. It´s just so much fun. You´ve got to soak it in when you do it.”