Staff Reports
President Donald Trump has used his clemency power to pardon Eric Wayne Larson, the long‑time PGA caddie who once served 11 years in federal prison. The Justice Department’s clemency list for Sept. 3, 2026, names Larson among the pardons. The move clears a U.S. legal hurdle for Larson, but it does not automatically guarantee he can step back onto British soil for the Scottish Open or the British Open.
What the pardon actually did — and why it matters
The Department of Justice entry is the official record: Eric Wayne Larson received a presidential pardon. That removes the federal legal disability tied to his old conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Larson says he filed through the Justice Department’s pardon office with prison records and recommendation letters. He told reporters, “I’m very fortunate. I’m grateful. I got a chance now.”
PGA life and lost paychecks
Larson rebuilt his life after prison and became a sought‑after caddie for players like Harris English. When British travel rules blocked him from entering the U.K., he missed working the British Open last year — costing him an estimated $126,000 in caddie pay when English finished runner‑up. A pardon fixes the U.S. side of that problem. Whether it restores Larson’s ability to travel is another question.
Don’t book St. Andrews yet: the U.K. still has the final say
Here’s the ugly little bureaucratic twist: U.K. Electronic Travel Authorisation rules treat convictions and sentences as the starting point, not the end point. Home Office guidance says foreign pardons don’t usually erase the fact someone was convicted. If a custodial sentence of 12 months or more was imposed, an ETA application can face mandatory refusal. So a U.S. pardon is powerful in America — but it doesn’t automatically undo a U.K. ban. Larson and his team will likely need to reapply, possibly submit a full visa application, and show U.K. officials that he has been rehabilitated.
Mercy, common sense, and a small jab at red tape
From a conservative view, this is exactly the kind of clemency the Constitution allows: someone who paid a heavy price, rebuilt his life, and earned a second chance. President Trump used a proper channel — the DOJ pardon office — and granted mercy where it fits. That said, the British immigration rules that punish long‑served rehabilitation forever are the sort of bureaucratic stubbornness we ought to mock. If a man has done his time and shown he’s reformed, denying him the chance to work seems petty, not principled.
The bottom line: the pardon is real and meaningful. It restores Larson’s U.S. standing and gives Harris English the shot at having his longtime caddie back at major British events. But until U.K. officials weigh Larson’s record under their rules, he won’t be stamping his passport for Scotland just yet. Let’s hope cooler heads and common sense — not paperwork — win the day so a hardworking American can get back to his job.
