A caddie who was barred from entering the UK due to a 30-year-old cocaine conviction missed out on a six-figure payday at the Open.
Eric Larson, the long-term caddie of American Harris English, was denied the chance to travel to Royal Portrush due to new UK restrictions on former criminals arriving from the United States.
Larson spent more than 10 years behind bars three decades ago after dealing cocaine.
English finished second at Portrush, four shots behind champion Scottie Scheffler following the final round on Sunday and took home a cheque for $1.76million (£1.3m).
On the PGA Tour, caddies typically earn seven per cent of their player’s winnings for a top-10 finish, meaning Larson would have been in line for nearly $125,000 (£93k).
‘This is my second chance at life,’ Larson told Mail Sport this week in his first in-depth exclusive interview since getting his ban.
Caddie Eric Larson was barred from The Open last week because of a 30-year-old cocaine conviction
He should have been carrying the bag for Harris English, but was instead forced to watch from home
‘When I got out, I wanted to caddy again, I wanted to win golf tournaments, I wanted to caddy in the Ryder Cup, in the President’s Cup, and I’ve done it all.
‘My next goal is to win a major. Well, they took one of my goals away from me because of something for which I’ve paid my time.
‘No one knows more than me how wrong I was to do what I did. But I did all the right things when I got out and, here I am, 20 years later, getting penalised for something I’ve already paid a heavy price.’
English also finished second behind Scheffler at the PGA Championship, the previous major, and took home more than $1.4m (£1m). Larson, who was able to carry the bag that day, took home around $100,000.
Larson and English have been together for more than eight years and won three PGA Tour events together – the Farmers Insurance Open in January that paid English $1.67m (£1.24m), the Travelers Championship in 2021 for $1.33m (£986k) and the Sentry Tournament of Champions that same year for $1.34m (£994k).
When players win a tournament, caddies usually take 10 per cent of the prize money.
That meant it was yet another huge payday for Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott, who took over the Open champion’s bag in late 2021. Since 2021, Scheffler has earned just shy of £62m in tournament winnings.
Scott will have picked up around $310,000 (£230,000) of Scheffler’s first-place prize packet of $3.1m (£2.3m) at Royal Portrush, taking his season earnings alone to around £1.2m to £1.5m.
Larson insisted that he had no bone to pick with Peake (pictured), who spent five years in prison for his part in an assault, but does says that it ‘seems like a double standard’
He says he has been denied his dream of winning a major due to his exclusion from The Open
Larson accused the UK Government of ‘double standards’ after he was refused entry but others with a criminal record were allowed to play at Portrush or at the Seniors Open this week.
Ryan Peake, the Australian with a British passport – who joined a motorcycle gang and spent five years in one of the world’s toughest prisons for his part in a baseball bat assault that left another man with a broken skull – played at Portrush.
Angel Cabrera, the former Masters champion jailed for assault, theft and intimidation against former girlfriend, will play in the seniors at Sunningdale.
‘I’ve got nothing against Ryan Peake, I think it’s a great story, I’d support that in a heartbeat, but it seems like a double standard,’ said Larson.
‘If he’s in there and Angel Cabrera gets to play in the seniors next week, why are their cases any different to mine? I’m a human being. This is my job, my livelihood.
‘My case is 30 years ago. It’s just strange how I’ve gone over there all these years with never a problem. And then all of a sudden, boom. I never thought for a second this would have been an issue.’
