The third round of the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open featured a jumbled leaderboard, with some big names and others more unknown.
And then Harris English decided to separate himself down the stretch. The former Georgia standout closed with three straight birdies to post a 6-under 66 and now sits at 9-under overall through 54 holes. He leads Andrew Novak by a stroke going into Saturday’s final round.
“Had some really good numbers on those last three holes and sometimes you’ve just got to be aggressive when you have really good numbers. It’s nice to finish like that, some good momentum heading into tomorrow,” English said of his finish.
“I know it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a grind. This course is really tough, one of the toughest we play on Tour. You’re going to miss some fairways, miss some greens, but you’re going to have to make some tough putts and keep yourself in the game.”
Torrey Pines South has taken no prisoners this week, as powerful wind gusts have only added to the overall challenge. Only 40 players are under par through three rounds, a reality you often see at major championships, not at a PGA Tour event in January.
Yet English has kept his composure all week, hanging around through the harsh conditions and capitalizing on the opportunities he gave himself.
“I’ve played this place for a long time now, and I feel like I know where to miss it, where to be aggressive and where to be patient and kind of have a yellow light pin of not being aggressive, too,” English said.
“I feel like I picked my spots really well today and it’s nice when you’re seeing some putts go in.”
English has played well at Torrey Pines before, with his best finish being a T-2 in 2015. He actually lost in a four-man playoff then, as Jason Day emerged victorious. He also tied for eighth in 2018. But since then, English has made five starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, with his best finish being a T-64. He has three missed cuts during that span too.
“Winning on the PGA Tour is hard,” the 35-year-old English said.
“Winning in a place like this will be massive. It’s one of my favorite places. And the list of winners here is pretty incredible, so I love being in the mix and looking forward to tomorrow.”
English has relied heavily on his approach play and his putting so far this week, which explains why he is leading. If those two facets of his game continue to shine, he will likely win his first PGA Tour event in almost four years.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
