Steve Wheatcroft surprises with opening 62 at John Deere Classic

Golf is an unpredictable game. The eight years between Harris English’s victory at TPC Southwind and his return for this week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational are proof. English earned his first PGA TOUR title at TPC Southwind. When he won again months later, big things were expected from the lanky Georgian. He was considered one of the United States’ next stars. He and Rory McIlroy were the only players under the age of 25 with multiple TOUR wins. English had to wait seven years for his next win, however. He fell outside the top 300 in the world ranking and to a career-worst 149th in the FedExCup in 2019. Despite having just conditional status on TOUR, his career quickly turned around. He had four finishes of sixth or better in the fall of 2019 and qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time in five years, finishing a career-best 12th in the FedExCup. In January, he ended his victory drought at the Sentry Tournament of Champions – because of COVID-19, the previous year’s TOUR Championship qualifiers gained entry into the field – and added another win at the Travelers Championship. English has finished fourth or better in the past two U.S. Opens, as well. He arrives at TPC Southwind ranked fifth in the FedExCup and a career-best 10th in the world. How did English turn his career around? By returning to the swing that helped him have so much success earlier in his career. English started working with swing coach Justin Parsons in the spring of 2019. “He just kind of brought me back from getting lost in this whirlwind of different swings and different mechanics and swing positions,” English said. “He simplified it so much that I can know what I’m doing. (Golf) is actually a game now. I’m not worried about how my swing looks.” Below, Parsons explains how English unlocked his old swing and returned to the game’s elite: BACK TO BASICS It’s difficult to hit your target if you’re not aimed at it. Parsons described English’s alignment as “erratic” in their first session together. “I asked Harris to hit an 8-iron to five or six different targets and it was clear that he did not aim at the changing targets in the same way,” Parsons said. “As we discussed his desire to be a more consistent ball-striker, we agreed that without the process and execution of good alignment being in place, the golf swing was never going to be consistent.” Like many pros, English used alignment rods on the ground to aid during his practice sessions. Having a visual reference point made him more aware of his alignment tendencies. He also instituted a pre-shot routine to make sure he was approaching the ball the same way each time. To achieve a more consistent address position, he would set up to the ball while holding the club in only his right hand. REVIEWING THE TAPE Looking back at video from English’s best days helped Parsons determine what changes should be made. “Harris had been a very successful player at every level and I was fortunate to have access to video and information from what feels and visuals worked in the past,” Parsons said. The beginning of his backswing was a move that had always been important to English. Unfortunately, that portion of his swing had changed over the years. English, who stands 6-foot-3, has always had a wide swing. His tendency, however, was to keep the clubhead too low for too long in the takeaway. This resulted in his club and hands swinging too far to the inside. “We wanted to see the clubhead remaining in front of his hands when the shaft was parallel to the ground,” Parsons said. This position helped English return to the left-to-right fade shot that he prefers to see with his irons. Putting pressure into the grip with his right thumb at the start of his swing helped him achieve the proper takeaway. He also used drills to ingrain the change. Sticking an alignment rod into the ground at a 45-degree angle prevents English from taking the club too far inside. The club will strike the stick if English takes it too far inside. One-handed swings, which English did before every shot in his Travelers win, also achieve this goal. When swinging with just the left hand, the weight of the club helps it travel down the correct path. “This has given him consistency and a shot pattern that increases his confidence,” Parsons said. TRANSITION An improper takeaway had ramifications throughout English’s swing. But as it improved, his backswing became a bit shorter as he moved the club back with his turn instead of his arm swing. His upper body leaned less to the left at the top of his swing, as well. This allowed him to better maintain the width of his swing in the downswing. That helped him with distance control, especially on in-between shots with longer clubs. When English was leaned too far to the left at the top of his backswing, he would either hit a low pull shot or compensate at the last-minute and hit a high, weak shot to the right. The proper backswing also helped English have the desired timing and tempo in his transition to his downswing. That proper timing extended into other parts of his game, increasing his confidence and even changing how he carried himself between shots. “One of the areas I admire most about Harris’ swing is his rhythm,” Parsons said. “When he completes his backswing correctly, the change in direction has an authentic, athletic flow to it. “As his confidence returned, his rhythm improved, and it helped him walk in good rhythm, walk into the ball in a poised and purposeful way and swing in great tempo. Zeroing in on the start of his backswing had impacts throughout his game.” And helped him return to the winner’s circle.

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PGA TOUR players Joshua Creel and Jonas Blixt got a birds eye view of the region’s environmental challenges. After watching a CalFire fire chief narrate a flyover of the Angor and Caldor fire burns, the golfers hiked the Sawtoon/06 trail to look at evacuation routes, the wildland urban interface (WUI) and current efforts by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) and its Forest Futures campaign to help communities at risk. For the event, the Barracuda Championship – the PGA TOUR tournament contested at Old Greenwood – partnered with TTCF and its Forest Futures Campaign to highlight its work to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires through better preparation, investment in forest health and infrastructure, and diversification of local economies. The Sierra Nevada region has become a tinderbox due to drought, a bark beetle infestation that killed more than 16 million trees, and forest overcrowding that drains vital water out of the ecosystem and covers the forest floor with flammable fuel. Simultaneously, the rural economies in the region have lost the economic engines that ensure basic infrastructure to manage forests, including saw and paper mills, and woody biomass processing facilities. CalFire has classified the entire Tahoe Truckee region as Very High or High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Before starting their hike, Blixt and Creel viewed footage from an early morning flyover of the burn from the recently contained Rices fire narrated by CalFire Fire Chief Brian Estes of the Placer County Fire Department. Chief Estes discussed issues facing the region and how the work of TTCF and Forest Futures exemplifies what communities can do to take effective action. The flyover included views of the golfers’ hiking route along the Sawtooth/05 trail and Route 89 corridor, as well as an aerial perspective of the Old Greenwood Golf Course—site of the Barracuda Championship—that showed the proximity of the golf course and residential areas to the forest. The hike, led by TTCF CEO Stacy Caldwell, showcased the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy forest and took the golfers to a lookout over 5 Creeks – a key evacuation route that has yet to be fully cleared. “We are grateful to the Barracuda Championship and PGA TOUR for helping us highlight the complexity of this important issue,” said Caldwell. “By employing lessons learned during COVID, we quickly provide funding where it’s needed most. Our investment in forest-health keeps communities safe, diversifies the local economy, and accelerates innovative uses for forest waste. By safeguarding the Tahoe Truckee region, we protect a vital watershed and create generational impact for all who love this special place.” TTCF’s three-year, $30M Forest Futures Campaign, a comprehensive playbook that can be replicated by other communities, is the culmination of more than four years of work with 97 multi-disciplinary experts to form a strategy and action plan that addresses a variety of interrelated forestry issues. To date, $5.4M has been raised to fund Forest Futures, and this summer, TTCF distributed almost $2M in grants. Phase one awarded $1 million to nine local institutions with 11 forest management projects currently underway, including planning hazardous tree removal for critical evacuation routes; working with local community organizations in recovery efforts; increasing community engagement, education, and public awareness; and introducing urban and rural youth to forestry management. Phase two addressed some of the area’s economic inequities by providing direct grants to local fire districts to support defensible space and fuel reduction efforts, fill gaps in funding, and pay for community wildfire resilience coordination. It encourages workforce development by providing field equipment and scholarships for students in Community College Forestry and Fire Programs; builds infrastructure by funding green waste wood fuel processing programs; and accelerates market solutions through a business strategy prize to help entrepreneurs scale up small businesses. For information on how to support Forest Futures, visit the donations page.

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