Golf is an unpredictable game. The eight years between Harris English’s victory at TPC Southwind and his return for this week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational are proof. English earned his first PGA TOUR title at TPC Southwind. When he won again months later, big things were expected from the lanky Georgian. He was considered one of the United States’ next stars. He and Rory McIlroy were the only players under the age of 25 with multiple TOUR wins. English had to wait seven years for his next win, however. He fell outside the top 300 in the world ranking and to a career-worst 149th in the FedExCup in 2019. Despite having just conditional status on TOUR, his career quickly turned around. He had four finishes of sixth or better in the fall of 2019 and qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time in five years, finishing a career-best 12th in the FedExCup. In January, he ended his victory drought at the Sentry Tournament of Champions – because of COVID-19, the previous year’s TOUR Championship qualifiers gained entry into the field – and added another win at the Travelers Championship. English has finished fourth or better in the past two U.S. Opens, as well. He arrives at TPC Southwind ranked fifth in the FedExCup and a career-best 10th in the world. How did English turn his career around? By returning to the swing that helped him have so much success earlier in his career. English started working with swing coach Justin Parsons in the spring of 2019. “He just kind of brought me back from getting lost in this whirlwind of different swings and different mechanics and swing positions,” English said. “He simplified it so much that I can know what I’m doing. (Golf) is actually a game now. I’m not worried about how my swing looks.” Below, Parsons explains how English unlocked his old swing and returned to the game’s elite: BACK TO BASICS It’s difficult to hit your target if you’re not aimed at it. Parsons described English’s alignment as “erratic” in their first session together. “I asked Harris to hit an 8-iron to five or six different targets and it was clear that he did not aim at the changing targets in the same way,” Parsons said. “As we discussed his desire to be a more consistent ball-striker, we agreed that without the process and execution of good alignment being in place, the golf swing was never going to be consistent.” Like many pros, English used alignment rods on the ground to aid during his practice sessions. Having a visual reference point made him more aware of his alignment tendencies. He also instituted a pre-shot routine to make sure he was approaching the ball the same way each time. To achieve a more consistent address position, he would set up to the ball while holding the club in only his right hand. REVIEWING THE TAPE Looking back at video from English’s best days helped Parsons determine what changes should be made. “Harris had been a very successful player at every level and I was fortunate to have access to video and information from what feels and visuals worked in the past,” Parsons said. The beginning of his backswing was a move that had always been important to English. Unfortunately, that portion of his swing had changed over the years. English, who stands 6-foot-3, has always had a wide swing. His tendency, however, was to keep the clubhead too low for too long in the takeaway. This resulted in his club and hands swinging too far to the inside. “We wanted to see the clubhead remaining in front of his hands when the shaft was parallel to the ground,” Parsons said. This position helped English return to the left-to-right fade shot that he prefers to see with his irons. Putting pressure into the grip with his right thumb at the start of his swing helped him achieve the proper takeaway. He also used drills to ingrain the change. Sticking an alignment rod into the ground at a 45-degree angle prevents English from taking the club too far inside. The club will strike the stick if English takes it too far inside. One-handed swings, which English did before every shot in his Travelers win, also achieve this goal. When swinging with just the left hand, the weight of the club helps it travel down the correct path. “This has given him consistency and a shot pattern that increases his confidence,” Parsons said. TRANSITION An improper takeaway had ramifications throughout English’s swing. But as it improved, his backswing became a bit shorter as he moved the club back with his turn instead of his arm swing. His upper body leaned less to the left at the top of his swing, as well. This allowed him to better maintain the width of his swing in the downswing. That helped him with distance control, especially on in-between shots with longer clubs. When English was leaned too far to the left at the top of his backswing, he would either hit a low pull shot or compensate at the last-minute and hit a high, weak shot to the right. The proper backswing also helped English have the desired timing and tempo in his transition to his downswing. That proper timing extended into other parts of his game, increasing his confidence and even changing how he carried himself between shots. “One of the areas I admire most about Harris’ swing is his rhythm,” Parsons said. “When he completes his backswing correctly, the change in direction has an authentic, athletic flow to it. “As his confidence returned, his rhythm improved, and it helped him walk in good rhythm, walk into the ball in a poised and purposeful way and swing in great tempo. Zeroing in on the start of his backswing had impacts throughout his game.” And helped him return to the winner’s circle.

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KAWAGOE, Japan – Xander Schauffele is your gold medalist, fulfilling his family’s Olympic dreams and winning in the same country where his mother grew up. It was a victory that was special for several reasons. Before departing Japan, here are five things to know about this year’s Olympic men’s golf competition. 1. SCHAUFFELE SHUTS THE DOOR It wasn’t just that Schauffele won the gold medal. It was how he did it. Schauffele has held a 54-hole lead four times in his PGA TOUR career. He hasn’t converted any of them into wins. He started the final round at Kasumigaseki with a one-stroke lead over home favorite Hideki Matsuyama and, while there were some tense moments after his bogey on the par-5 14th, was able to win the gold. He clinched victory with a clutch up-and-down on 18 after hitting a 98-yard wedge shot to 5 feet. “I needed to get over the hump,” Schauffele said about finishing off a 54-hole lead. His four PGA TOUR wins have all come in comeback fashion. He trailed by an average of 3.3 shots entering the final round in each of those wins. He’s shot a final-round 68 or better in each win, including a Sunday 62 in the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions, which is his most recent TOUR win. While he hadn’t won in 2 ½ years, his consistency has been impressive. He has 30 top-25 finishes in his last 36 TOUR starts. His 13 top-3 finishes over the last three seasons are second only to Justin Thomas (14). Schauffele also has nine top-10s in 18 majors since 2017. One of those was a painful loss in this year’s Masters to Matsuyama. Schauffele birdied four straight holes on Augusta National’s second nine before hitting his tee shot into the water at the par-3 16th. Matsuyama and Schauffele were together again in the final group Sunday, but this time Schauffele got the better of him. “As a competitor, personally it’s always important to take the next step and I was kind of stuck in a gear over-thinking, over-complicating certain moments,” Schauffele said Sunday. “So if you put just everything aside for me personally this is a big deal just to pull through while having the lead since I have never done it before.” 2. FAMILY TIES It’s hard to discuss Schauffele’s Olympic performance without mentioning his family. His great-grandfather, Richard Schauffele, was one of Germany’s track and field athletes but missed the Olympics with a shoulder injury. Xander’s father, Stefan, was an aspiring decathlete whose athletic career was ended by a drunk driver. While golf’s major championships stand alone, the Schauffeles’ connections to both the Olympics and Japan (his grandparents still live in Tokyo) definitely made this a title that Xander desired. “I maybe put more pressure on myself to go win this more than anything else for quite some time,” Xander said. “It was more than just golf for me and I’m just really, really happy and fortunate to be sitting here.” The experience of handling this pressure should bode well for Schauffele, who’s become a consistent contender in majors but is seeking his first victory in one. 3. DIFFERENT STROKES There have been calls for a different format ever since golf was added to the Olympic catalog. There is no shortage of 72-hole events in professional golf, so the desire is understandable. Team formats, especially in match play, have their inherent drama on every hole. We’ve seen it in everything from the NCAA Championship to the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. A team format also raises the possibility of a mixed format where men and women compete alongside each other. Those are all good things, but I would hesitate before tossing stroke play aside. Individiual accomplishments are important to the top players. They’re the primary way legacies are measured. Standing alone atop the podium was special for Schauffele. “What does it mean to win a gold medal? It means you’re the champion,” Schauffele said Sunday. “It means you beat everybody. For me specifically, I don’t play golf for money or medals, in all honesty, I just play to be competitive and I want to beat everyone. So for this week I’m lucky enough to be sitting here with these boys, but I’m also lucky enough to be the No. 1 player to beat everyone. So that’s what it means to me.” For those who say that stroke play is too predictable, consider that the silver and bronze medalist were both ranked outside the top 200 in the world ranking. 4. CHANGE OF HEART Even though he left Japan empty-handed, Rory McIlroy was among the players whose Olympic experience exceeded their expectations. “It makes me even more determined going to Paris and trying to pick one up,” McIlroy said about an Olympic medal. “To be up there in contention for a medal certainly had a different feeling to it than I expected.” Even though it meant a longer commute, many golfers enjoyed staying in or near the Olympic Village and fraternizing with other athletes. Members of the U.S. team spent time with the U.S. basketball team. Tommy Fleetwood was invited to a sparring session with Great Britain’s boxers. Abraham Ancer roomed with the Mexican boxing team, while Carlos Ortiz was with the country’s equestrians. McIlroy was excited to watch the dressage, which he called “mesmerizing.” He told his wife, Erica, that the Olympics showed him that he should give new experiences an opportunity instead of entering them with a cynical mindset. “I need to give things a chance,” McIlroy said. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so skeptical. I think I need to do a better job of just giving things a chance, experiencing things, not writing them off at first glance. That’s sort of a trait of mine, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. I was proven wrong at the Ryder Cup, I’ve been proven wrong this week and I’m happy that, I’m happy to say that.” Playing alongside countryman Shane Lowry in the third round only enhanced McIlroy’s experience. They’ve known each other since their amateur days, helping Ireland to the 2007 European Team Championship. Teaming with Lowry, in a tournament with no prize money and having his clubs carried in a small stand bag all reminded McIlroy back to his amateur days. “It’s just been a throwback to the good old days when we didn’t play for money,” McIlroy said. “It was great. It was a really enjoyable week and I hope we both make it for Paris again in three years’ time and have another good crack at it.” 5. HIDEKI’S HEARTBREAK Ever since Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, attention turned to his gold medal quest. The Olympics were being held in his home country and on a course that is very special to him. He won the 2009 Japan Junior and 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Kasumigaseki Country Club. The latter earned him his first Masters invitation. The Olympics also were Matsuyama’s first tournament since contracting COVID-19, however, and it seemed he was still feeling the effects. He hadn’t played a tournament in four weeks and his endurance was lacking. Japan’s captain, Shigeki Maruyama, said it’s been “night and day” since Matsuyama’s battle with the virus. The high heat that players faced all week didn’t help. Still, Matsuyama fought for a medal. No spectators were allowed at Kasumigaseki but by Sunday he was trailed by hundreds of volunteers, media and athletes. He just missed a birdie putt on the final green that would have given him the bronze, then fell in a seven-man playoff for the third medal. “I have no energy or endurance left at this point,” Matsuyama said. “But I kept fighting at the end with my heart.” That’s the Olympic spirit. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup regular season. The competition will conclude prior to the FedExCup PLAYOFFS where the top 10 FedExCup points leaders will be recognized and awarded as the most elite in golf. Week after week, shot after shot, each event matters more than ever before. Who will finish in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10? Click here to follow the weekly action.

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