A decade removed from holding the 54-hole lead at the Farmers Insurance Open, Harris English finds himself in the same position after three rounds of the 2025 tournament. Firing a 6-under 66 on the South Course at Torrey Pines, the four-time PGA Tour winner emerged from a crowded pack to top the leaderboard at 9 under entering Saturday’s final round.
English’s advantage will be one stroke over fellow Sea Island, Georgia, resident Andrew Novak — one of two players to navigate the South Course without dropping a shot in Round 3. Novak is not only one of many players chasing English but also his first PGA Tour victory.
“You want to win, and anytime you want something, like you might put pressure on yourself,” Novak said. “There’s going to be nerves. You know, I’ve gone through Q-School, I’ve been sweating out cut lines. It’s all just nerves. I’ve been nervous a lot of times playing golf; it’s just part of it. You just have to step up and hit the golf shot. It’s going to come down to that [Saturday].”
After beginning his day with five straight pars, English found his groove on the greens. Rattling off three birdies across the final four holes of his front nine, the former U.S Ryder Cup member entered his name into the conversation. A slip-up on the difficult par-3 11th resulted in his lone bogey of the afternoon, but he bounced back a couple holes later with another circle on the scorecard.
With Novak in the clubhouse at 8 under and PGA Tour rookie Aldrich Potgieter all done at 7 under, it appeared those two would occupy the two spots on the leaderboard overnight. However, English had a different idea. A long-distance connection on the par-3 16th pushed him to 7 under before pristine wedge shots into No. 17-18 pushed him past his counterparts and into the lead by himself.
Unable to convert his 54-hole lead into a victory in 2015 — Jason Day claimed the title in a playoff — English has a chance a decade later to make amends on the coast of California.
The leader
1. Harris English (-9)
English’s boom-or-bust run of results at Torrey Pines will continue this week, and it makes some sense when looking at his game. When he is on, he can be as good as a top-20 player in the world; however, when his ball striking gets loose, so does his scoring. The iron play was tight on Friday as he hit a number of beautifully shaped shots into some treacherous pins. English gained +3.55 strokes on approach across his final nine holes in Round 3, which was only 0.50 strokes shy of his best tournament performance of 2024.
Other contenders
2. Andrew Novak (-8)
3. Aldrich Potgieter (-7)
T4. Lanto Griffin, K.H. Lee, Matti Schmid, Joel Dahmen (-5)
T8. Ludvig Åberg, Sungjae Im, Brandt Snedeker, Ricky Castillo, Kris Ventura, Wesley Bryan (-4)
Another week, and another young superstar in the making appears. Potgieter may only be 20 years old, but his game looks ready for the big time. Playing his last 11 holes in 6 under on Friday, the South African surged to the first page of the leaderboard. His run was jumpstarted when he holed out for eagle from the middle of the fairway on the difficult par-4 12th. If he continues to find fairways, he will be a difficult man to fend off as he is already making a name for himself as the longest player on tour.
“[Distance] makes a big difference, I think,” Potgieter said, “especially when you’re hitting the ball into the rough. It makes a big difference if you’re hitting a pitching wedge into a green or an 8-iron. It’s just this rough is so thick you have to be able to get through it easily. I’m just trying to hit a fairway. If I can find a fairway, I’ll be happy and just stay out of the long stuff [Saturday].”
Tracking the amateurs
Florida State’s Luke Clanton and Auburn’s Jackson Koivun entered the second half of the tournament needing a top-five finish to secure their PGA Tour cards through the PGA Tour Accelerated program. Both players held serve on Friday and signed for rounds of even par, but they did lose some standing on the leaderboard. Clanton sits at 2 under and Koivun a couple strokes worse at even par. While the winner’s circle may be a tall ask, a top-five finish could be in reach as players at 5 under currently occupy that position.
2025 Farmers Insurance Open updated odds, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
- Harris English: 3/2
- Andrew Novak: 4-1
- Aldrich Potgieter: 8-1
- Ludvig Åberg: 16-1
- Joel Dahmen: 20-1
- Sungjae Im: 22-1
The oddsmakers make it a bit of a three-horse race, and although he has the most winning experience, English does not have the most recent experience. Novak fell to Rafael Campos at the Bermuda Championship this fall and Potgieter lost a late lead on the DP World Tour this winter. There are some question marks with English’s ball striking and if he can continue that form from Friday, so we’ll roll with Novak to overcome the overnight lead and grab his first PGA Tour win. Im at 22-1 may also be worth a look if the three on top all falter.
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