Sports organisations in the US will press the Home Office to apply exemptions to new travel rules for American citizens entering the UK after the caddie of golfer Harris English missed out on around £130,000 by being denied access for the Scottish Open and Open Championship.
The case of Eric Larson has alerted the likes of the NFL and NBA, which stage games in London, that sportspeople or staff can be prohibited from entering the UK under Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rules if they have a criminal conviction. Larson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1995 for involvement in drug dealing and rebuilt his career as a caddie for several leading PGA Tour players after serving 10 years.
Larson’s past had largely been forgotten until the Scottish Open, when it was revealed any American citizen given a custodial sentence of at least 12 months will now be denied UK entry. ETA implementation started in January this year.
Larson was refused travel despite lobbying to the Home Office from the PGA Tour and the R&A. English tied 22nd in Scotland and finished second in the Open. Caddies typically receive around 10% of their player’s winnings; English earned more than £1.8m from his UK trip. As things stand, Larson will encounter the same situation in 2026.
The American bodies will point to the fact Donald Trump’s ban on citizens from a dozen countries entering the US – another seven have been served with restrictions – contains an exemption intended to apply to players, staff or associated families linked to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Olympics. No such leeway presently exists for the UK border.
“Sporting bodies are now asking the UK to apply sporting exemptions on this system,” confirmed a senior figure within US sport. The Home Office did not offer comment on whether it has already been asked to apply sporting exemptions on the ETA and what any response towards this might be.
A source with knowledge of the Home Office position added: “Each application for a decision outside the rules is considered on its merits but informed by previous examples and precedents.” The same source confirmed the “mandatory and automatic refusal of entry clearance for individuals who have received a previous custodial sentence of at least 12 months”.
The NFL will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for matches on back-to-back weekends in October. The NBA announced last week that games will be staged in London in early 2026 and Manchester the following year.
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An obvious anomaly with the UK’s current stance can be demonstrated within golf. Ángel Cabrera received a multi-year prison term for crimes against women. The former Masters champion, from Argentina, played in the Senior Open at Sunningdale in July. The Australian Ryan Peake participated in the Open at Royal Portrush, six years after being released from jail on a serious assault conviction. Peake is understood to hold a UK passport.
