Zurich Classic of New Orleans Tips: Harris English

Of all the rookies on tour the player who has impressed me the most is Harris English. After three months of the season, he stands 53rd in the FedEx Cup, enough time to establish his form isn’t a fluke.

He has made 9 out of 11 cuts with five top-25 finishes along the way. It’s the sort of consistency associated with a hardened tour pro, not a 22-year-old tour debutant. He’s also picked up crucial experience of competition at the sharp end on a Sunday.

At the Honda Classic, English was second going into the final day only to falter with a closing 77. He eventually finished T18, but he learnt a huge amount in that round. Like Kyle Stanley, he strikes me as the type of player to bounce back from the disappointment and go onto better things.

To some extent he already has, with a T8, his highest finish of the season, coming a fortnight ago at the RBC Heritage. That’s an excellent warm-up for TPC Louisiana as both courses were designed by Peter Dye.

Previous Zurich Classic winners like Jason Bohn and Jerry Kelly both enjoyed top-ten finishes at the Heritage before going on to taste success in Louisiana. If course form is transferable between the two, then Harris English rates an excellent bet.

Although 70/1 (Coral) is available I recommend taking the 66/1 with Bodog who are offering the extra each-way place, with ¼ odds for a top-six finish.