Harris English has won five times on the PGA Tour, the first of those coming in 2013 when he landed the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
The latest was achieved at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines as the American overcame some errant driving in the final round to hold his nerve and win with 8-under par, one ahead of Sam Stevens.
Key to that victory was his prowess on the greens and English’s silky stroke never let him down during a tense finale.
Perhaps that’s no surprise given that he’s achieved all those five victories with the same putter.
The Ping Scottsdale Hohum mallet has been in the bag since 2011 and it only made its way into the line-up by chance.
He began using it in his senior year at the University of Georgia and it was meant for his college team-mate Keith Mitchell but he didn’t want it.
“My assistant coach took it off the putting green, and he was like, ‘Man, I’m a terrible putter. If I can make putts with this putter, anybody can putt with it,'” English said.
“It’s been a staple that I’ll always go back to. It’s something with the face: it’s pretty soft. It’s very unique, easy to aim. There’s a reason why I go back to it. It’s kind of an old faithful putter, and I feel like I’ve had some of my best putting weeks with that putter,” Harris explained.
It’s been in and out of the bag at times, like any long-standing putter, but it’s been there for all the good stuff and it was there in the bag again as he ended a four-year victory drought with victory at Torrey Pines.
Over the week he picked up over six shots on the greens, ranking 3rd for Strokes Gained: Putting.
“For me familiarity with the putter is important which is why I don’t change,” said English. “I know how it comes off. I know how it feels when I get under pressure. I know I spent many, many hours putting with this thing doing drills.
“I have four of them, but I rarely switch it out. If I’m not putting well, I know it’s my fundamentals or alignment and not the putter.”
Harris English has been using the same putter since his senior year of college. pic.twitter.com/m66IenkcUx
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 27, 2025
A few years ago the Ping Tour rep Tony Serrano explained that the alignment aids played a big part in English’s devotion to the putter.
“Harris is a big fan of the top alignment features of the Hohum. The top surface sits high and is flat with subtle ball diameter and ball-width features that help him with his alignment of the ball. Also, the durometer insert gives him the feel, sound and speed that works best for Harris’ putting.
“We’ve tested several different styles of putter in the past. We’ve even designed a specific putter with Harris’ input but he’s always gone back to the Hohum.
“He’s commented in the past that it’s tough to switch putters since he has so many memories of making clutch putts with the Hohum, which gives him confidence.”
Another interesting aspect is that English has the putter at 36¼ inches along with a Ping AVS MidSize grip.
It certainly proved worth its weight in gold at Torrey Pines.
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