If you’re attending this week’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, and you’re following U.S. team member Harris English, and he just so happens to stick a 140-yard wedge to kick-in distance, expect lots of people to be cheering wildly — for English’s caddie.
“I’m sure there will be a few people yelling ‘Lars,’ or whatever,’’ said Eric Larson, a native of Appleton, Wis. “But it’s going to be a fun environment and it’s going to be all positive. A few friends might blurt my name out, but it’s all good.”
The truth is, people have been cheering for Eric Larson for years. Friends, PGA Tour players and fellow caddies alike have admired his return from a life-altering mistake that led to a 10-year sentence in federal prison.
“When you look at his back story, and you see how he owned his mistakes,’’ Jim “Bones” Mackay, the longtime caddie for Phil Mickelson and now an on-course reporter for NBC, told the Palm Beach Post. “Eric is one of the most kind, gentle persons on the PGA Tour. That’s why everyone loves him.”
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Eric Larson had this big idea and, to his credit, he was intent on giving it a shot. He thought he could one day play on the PGA Tour, so when he wrapped up high school at Appleton West in 1979, he headed off to Florida. In time, he met up with PGA Tour pros Ken Green and Mark Calcavecchia. And in no time, he realized he was never going to be that good.
But they all hit it off and soon Larson was caddying for Green, then Calcavecchia. Any way you look at it, he was where he wanted to be — the PGA Tour.
But tour life can be tough, and money was tight, so Larson came up with a side hustle to make some extra cash. He sold cocaine to some of his friends back in Wisconsin. He said he never partook in the use of the drug, and never brought it on tour, so it seemed like a good idea — until he got caught. Because it was across state lines, it was a federal crime.
His side hustle ended up costing him dearly; 10 years in federal prison from 1995 to 2005.
“I didn’t expect to get the sentence I did, but I did,’’ Larson said.
There are many roads one can travel while in prison, and Larson chose the one least traveled.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, became a workout junkie, read books, kept track of what was happening on tour, kept his head down and his mouth shut.
It was during this time when Calcavecchia’s role changed from boss to friend, and he went and visited Larson at all four of the prisons in which he was incarcerated. He told Larson that if he did the right things, he could come back and work for him when he got out.
“I tried to put myself in his position and what that would mean to me if I had a friend made the effort to see me if I was in prison,’’ Calcavecchia told the New York Post.
“That’s a long time he was in there, and to have something to look forward once the nightmare was finally over, it’s got to be a huge help mentally.’’
Larson also played the role of mentor to another fellow inmate in prison, and it led to a strong friendship that continues to this day.
“Eric is one of those angels that you meet,’’ Tommy Chong, of the famed “Cheech & Chong” comedy duo, told The Caddie Network of his stay at Taft Correctional Institute in California.
Chong was busted for selling bongs across state lines, a federal offense, which sent him to prison for the first time in his life. It was Larson who mentored Chong on prison life, and how to get through it without getting in further trouble.
Larson had his own vegetable garden there, and while most of the harvest went to a local food bank, he was able to take some vegetables for his own and often cooked for a small group of inmates that included Chong. And the two bonded over their meals shared together.
“He’s big, comforting — like caddies are,’’ Chong said.
Chong likes to tell the story of one time, at what is now the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in Los Angeles, when Larson spotted him in the crowd. Chong was a bit parched, but didn’t want to leave his spot.
“Next thing you know, Eric’s got a bottle of water for me,’’ he said. “It was just … oh, my God. That’s Eric. He’ll always be a part of my life.’’
As the years have passed, Larson has taken many of his friends, other caddies and players — including English — to meet Chong, see his shows and have dinner. And, today, Larson and Chong have become business partners.
“He’s been a great friend,’’ Larson said of Chong.
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Next week will mark Eric Larson’s third Ryder Cup as a caddie, and knows he is where he is today because of his friendship with Calcavecchia.
“It’s meant everything,’’ he said. “It’s the reason I’m still caddying on the PGA Tour. Obviously he opened his arms to let me work for him when I got out. … It was kind of nice to have that when I got out and have him have some success, which gave me more credibility to get more jobs. Obviously, with my background, there are people that would say, ‘Nah, it’s probably not a good idea.’ But Calc didn’t care. He stuck true to his word.
“I mean, he’s a true friend. I’ve got a lot of very good friends, I’ve been very fortunate. Not everyone has the capability to come see me, or have the capability to come see me at every prison, but Mark took time on his week off to come see me for a day or two and that meant everything to me. It made me work even harder to do the right things and get out and do the best I can and here we are, 15 years later, doing another Ryder Cup and having my greatest season as a caddie with Harris. I’m very fortunate.’’
English, who first began working with Larson in 2017, will be playing in his first Ryder Cup.
He is coming off a banner year with two victories, eight top-10s, earnings of $6.2 million and is currently ranked 11th in the world.
English said he loves the perspective that Larson brings, and that no matter what happens on the course, it’s never going to be as bad compared to where Larson was 15 years ago.
“I know he has my back and he’ll do anything for me and I’ll do anything for him, too,’’ English told the New York Post. “That’s the kind of relationship you build with your caddie out here.’’
Larson said he is aware of the abundance of support around him and, based on the number of ticket requests, knows many family and friends will be at Whistling Straits cheering him on.
“It makes me feel great,’’ he said. “I never meant to hurt anybody by doing what I was doing, even though it was illegal. To be able to come back out and be accepted and to be able to move on and put it behind me; it’s a second chance at life. I’m fortunate to have that opportunity.’’
Story idea? You can reach Mike Woods at 920-246-6321 or at: michael.t.woods1@charter.com