By John Huggan
The European Tour has spent the last three weeks on Spain’s picturesque Canary Islands. So has Garrick Higgo, who it is safe to say has been enjoying the views, both on and off the course. A remarkable 68-under par for the 12 rounds played, the 21-year-old South African picked up two victories, at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open and on Sunday, the Canary Islands Championship.

A final round of seven-under-par 64, which included a hole-in-one, over the Golf Costa Adeje course—where last week the former UNLV stand-out finished T-8 in the Tenerife Open—took Higgo to 27 under and gave him a comfortable six-shot edge over the runner-up, Australian Maverick Antcliff. Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland was third on 20 under, one shot ahead of a five-strong group that included last week’s winner, Dean Burmester.

This one was all about Higgo, though. A semifinalist in the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur (where he lost 3 and 1 to eventual runner-up, Matthew Wolff), the young left-hander is on the rise on multiple fronts. This third victory in only 27 European Tour starts sees him up to fifth on the Race to Dubai and just outside the top-50 on the World Ranking. Which is not to say Higgo is satisfied with what he has already achieved. Other targets remain, not least a place on fellow South African Trevor Immelman’s International squad at next year’s Presidents Cup.

“It would be awesome to play under Trevor,” said Higgo. “He was my captain in the Junior Presidents Cup. If I make that team, it would be unreal. I think I can do it, though. This is a hard game, but I just need to keep playing well.”

He has certainly been doing that recently, after what was a poor start to the year in the Middle East, where he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. All of which already seems like a long time ago in the midst of such a strong run of form, one that saw Higgo flirt with Ernie Els’ all-time 72-hole scoring record of 29 under on the European Tour.

“I’m very tired and very thankful to be done,” said Higgo, who made seven birdies and an ace at No. 7 in a closing round that saw him forge ahead before the turn and stroll to a victory worth €230,500 ($280,362). “But also a little bit upset. My goal was to get to 30-under par so making a bogey on the 16th and three-putting the last hole for par was a little disappointing. I watch scoreboards all the time, so I knew where I was. But I didn’t know until afterwards that I was so close to Ernie’s record. I’m very happy though. Leading is never easy and I was feeling pressure right from the start. Two weeks ago was the first time I had led going into a final round.

“Having said that, I played so well today and hit the ball nicely. This win was actually a lot easier than the last one because I was hitting it so much better. I can’t believe it has happened so soon. But, then again, my game has been so good I can believe it as well. The hole-in-one was a perfect 9-iron. But I was on a roll at that point. I made birdies immediately before and after.”

Speaking of which, this was the third successive victory by a South African on the Old World circuit, a feat repeated on the second-division Challenge Tour when Wilco Nienaber lifted the Dimension Data Pro-am title at Sun City. And Higgo has been grateful for the presence of so many of his older compatriots, particularly in these unusual COVID-driven times.

“They’ve been great to me,” he continued. “They’ve taken me under their wing, and I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Clearly, South Africans make good teachers.

The post Garrick Higgo makes an ace in winning second European Tour event in short order appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
It took Garrick Higgo only seven starts to register his maiden win on the European Tour, last year’s Open de Portugal. And 17 starts later, the 21-year-old lefty from South African has doubled his tally. Posting back-to-back 63 over the par-70 Meloneras resort course in Spain’s Gran Canaria on the weekend, Higgo got himself to 25 under par for the week and claimed victory at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open. Higgo finished three better than Germany’s Maximillian Kieffer, runner-up in Austria last week, who shot a final-round 62 that was the best of a low-scoring day that saw only 10 of the 74-strong field fail to shoot par or better.

Still, it was Higgo’s display that stood out. Arriving on the back of a T-4 finish in Austria last week, only three times did the former Junior Presidents Cup player make worse than par during a breezy 72 holes over the picturesque 6,715-yard course. That is impressive enough, but perhaps more importantly, Higgo made 25 birdies and two eagles. Combined with his paucity of errors, those were numbers that no one could match. Not even Kieffer, whose cards were highlighted by 28 birdies and one eagle, but scarred by as many six dropped shots and one double bogey.

“I wasn’t nervous on the outside,” said Higgo, who started the final round with a two-shot edge over three others for the €230,500 first prize. “But it was the first time ever that I have had a lead. All my other wins have been from behind, so I know what it is like to beat someone and how things can change. At first, I was just trying to keep myself in the battle.”

Higgo putts on the 12th hole during the final round of the Gran Canaria Open at Meloneras Golf Club on April 25, 2021, in Maspalomas, Spain. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

That he did with some success. Bogey-free all day, Higgo’s up-and-down for par at the penultimate hole all but sealed the win. The closing birdie he made on the downwind 528-yard par-5 18th was a formality and only confirmed his superiority.

“There is always room for improvement,” said Higgo, who will move into the top 100 on the World Ranking for the first time, likely earning him a spot into his first major championship at next month’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. “But my game is trending the right way. I have been working hard and there are things I can get better at, so I will just take every week as it comes and see where my game goes. I haven’t been playing that well at the start of the year, so this is amazing.”

As for Kieffer, the 30-year-old was philosophical about his second consecutive runner-up finish. In truth, he was never nearer than two shots to the eventual champion, so there was no real reason for any regret.

“I was just trying to go shot for shot,” said Kieffer, who made seven birdies and an eagle en route to his best-of-the-day score. “Even though it is windy you have to have that mindset. I learned that last week. You just have to make as many birdies as possible. And I was just trying to do that. I did a decent job today.”

Decent. But second best. Again.

The post Garrick Higgo is a 21-year-old you should be watching after a second Euro Tour victory in 24 career starts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.