Harris English made a sensational surge on the final day to take the clubhouse lead at the PGA Championship - but he didn't hang around. After firing a six-under-par 65 at Quail Hollow to soar up the leaderboard, the Ryder Cup hopeful secured his position as the clubhouse frontrunner, leaving Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau to vie for supremacy on the remaining holes.
Having wrapped up early with a brilliant six-under total, the 35-year-old informed journalists that he still intended to board his 5pm flight home, despite the possibility of being in contention. "I've got a flight I'm catching at five," he said shortly after concluding his round. "Two guys will probably not be very happy with me if I didn't show up."
Assessing the scoring opportunities at Charlotte, English reckoned the back nine presented chances for under-par surges, foreseeing 54-hole leader Scheffler sustaining his advantage.
He said: "That back nine, you can make a lot of birdies, kind of starting with birdie 10, 12. There are a lot of birdies out there. I mean, the best player in the world is even through 3. I don't see him slipping a whole lot.
"I see myself catching my flight. If we have to turn that thing around, we can do it."
But he didn't have to. Scheffler's round of 71 saw him finish five shots clear of English who was tied second with Bryson DeChambeau and Davis Riley.
English has however yet again proven his mettle on the grandest stages, continuing to shine at the majors after previously enduring a disappointing streak of missing five consecutive flagship events before this week.
Riding the momentum of his improving form, English is brimming with self-assurance. He said: "I've been doing some really good work with my coach Justin. I don't really like to look at my swing on video, but every time I do see it, it reminds me of my swing in college, of kind of my early 20s swing.
"My ball speed is going up. My body has been feeling good. So, yeah, I feel like I'm a more well-rounded player now, and it's just about matching up everything. Got to get my short game a little tighter, got to get my putting a little more consistent, but I'm really happy with the way I'm hitting the ball right now."
As he took the lead in the clubhouse, English maintained a grounded perspective despite not expecting to contend in his final round. He concluded: "I'm not coming in today thinking I can win, but it's nice playing good on a Sunday in a major. I kind of pride myself on playing my best golf on a Sunday when it matters the most.
"When it's the hardest pins, when it's the toughest conditions, when it's the most pressure. I pride myself on playing well on Sundays. This week, I thought I played really, really good. I think I was tied for first coming into today, greens in regulation. I think I might have missed two or three greens today."
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