President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to PGA Tour caddie Eric Larson, clearing a decades-old federal cocaine conviction that had prevented him from traveling to the U.K. for major golf tournaments.
The Justice Department lists Larson among 23 people Trump pardoned on Sept. 3. Federal records show Larson was sentenced in 1995 in the Western District of Michigan to 156 months in prison, five years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Larson, 66, currently works as the caddie for American golfer Harris English. He told the New York Post he was grateful for the pardon and the opportunity it could give him to return to tournaments in Britain.
“I’m very fortunate. I’m grateful. I got a chance now,” Larson said.
Larson had previously been unable to obtain the travel authorization required to enter the U.K. because of his criminal record, according to the report.
The restriction kept him from accompanying English to the 2025 British Open. English finished second in the tournament and earned $1.8 million, while Larson missed the event because he could not enter the country.
The Post reported that Trump personally called Larson and English after signing the pardon.
“I’m just so pumped for Eric that he can have his rights back … and travel to be by my side and work for me specifically at the Scottish Open and the British Open,” English said.
The White House did not publicly highlight Larson’s pardon when it was issued, although the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney later listed him among Trump’s Sept. 3 clemency recipients. The official warrant grants Larson a “full and unconditional pardon” for his federal offense.
Larson told the Post that he first became acquainted with Trump through professional golfer Anthony Kim, for whom Larson previously caddied.
English and Larson later played golf with Trump at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. English said Larson discussed his situation with the president during that encounter.
Larson said his criminal case stemmed from cocaine trafficking during the 1980s and early 1990s. He said he obtained cocaine in Florida and shipped it across state lines to friends and acquaintances. He has maintained that he did not personally use the drug, per the New York Post.
Larson said he pursued clemency through the Justice Department’s formal pardon process, submitting documentation about his time in prison and letters supporting his application.
“The Department of Justice went through all my paperwork and all my prison paperwork. It went through the process,” Larson said. “I want it to be based on my merits, not because I know him.”
With the pardon now granted, Larson said he intends to continue working alongside English for as long as he is physically able.
“I’m not done yet,” Larson said. “As long as I can still caddy, I’ll caddy.”
