Players Championship: Harris English gets his revenge on the 18th hole the Stadium Course

• Harris English scored an eagle on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass during the second round of The Players Championship.
• English's eagle was the eighth in tournament history at the 18th hole and helped him finish the second round tied for eighth place.
• English, who won the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open in January, is looking for his sixth PGA Tour title

The 18th hole of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass bit Harris English to end a promising first round in The Players Championship on Thursday.

The former Georgia Bulldog bit back on Friday — hard.

English used an 8-iron from 181 yards out to make an eagle-two at the brute of a par-4 to complete a first-nine 31, then turned and made eight pars in a row and a closing birdie at No. 9 for a 66 and a two-round total of 6-under 138.When the St. Simons Island, Ga., resident and five-time PGA Tour winner finished, he was tied for eighth, five shots behind leader Min Woo Lee.

It was the eighth eagle made at the Stadium Course's closing hole in the history of The Players, and the first since Justin Thomas in 2023.

Harris English had revenge in mind

The shot was sweeter because English double-bogeyed the 18th hole on Thursday to erase a 2-under score and put him at even par.

After a good drive in the fairway he pushed his second shot into deep rough to the right front of the green. With the ball buried and having to take a big hit at it just to advance the ball, English watched in dismay as it rolled past the ball, over the bank and into the water on the other side of the green.

"That really sucked," English said of his finish on Thursday. "I hit a really good drive and then got it down there in a shady line ... got in the wrong spot. That's what happens out here ... you can make six in a hurry."

His second shot in the second round did everything English had visualized over the ball. He had a right-to-left lie, which fit the draw he wanted to hit to a right-center hole placement.

"Perfect," he said, understating it. "I got that hole this time."

It also followed a birdie at No. 17 on a 19-foot putt for an enviable "2-2" on his scorecard for the final two holes on the back.

Those holes came after a rare bogey at the par-5 16th (English hit his second shot into the water, wedged on the green and missed an 8-foot par attempt) but he had birdied three of the previous four holes, including putts of 28 feet at No. 12 and 27 feet at No. 15.

English has renewed confidence

If the weekend conditions at The Players get windier, English will be ready. He won the Farmers Insurance Open in January for his first Tour victory in nearly four years, pairing his last 12 holes to beat Sam Stevens by one shot in cold and brisk conditions at Torrey Pines.

It was the first time English had won a tournament in cold weather. His previous four titles were either in the U.S. in the summer or the tropical climates of Hawaii (The Sentry in 2021) and Mexico (the Mayakoba Classic in 2014).

"First time sleeping on a lead in a long time," he noted. "It was a battle of nerves and it's fun ... that's what is so exciting about this, is learning more about yourself and how you handle the situation. I was super-calm, stayed in rhythm the whole day and it was nice to pull off. I didn't have my best stuff but I got it done."

When he arrived at Torrey Pines for the final round it was gray, damp and in the 50s.

"I knew it was going to be a battle," he said. "I told my caddie, I've got to put the mouthpiece in. You're going to take some punches but you've got to keep fighting."

If English throws any more haymakers like the 8-iron at No. 18, he might be in the thick of The Players come Sunday.