Leading Sunshine Tour rookie, Garrick Higgo, says he knows that his game hasn’t been up to the standard he wants lately but is aiming for nothing less than a win at this week’s Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Heritage Golf and Wellness Resorts.
“I always fancy my chances when getting into tournaments but there are a lot of guys here that can win this week. I just have to play my game and play well. I don’t have any secrets or strategies except to play solid golf.â€
Higgo won his maiden Sunshine Tour title at the Sun City Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club, beating a star-studded field to the title in only his fifth start as a professional. He boasts three top 10 finishes and a top 20 on top of that Sun City win and leads the race to the Freddie Tait Trophy, a piece of silverware awarded to the leading rookie at the end of the season.
“Hopefully, I can end it just as well as I started,†he said of the year he has had on Tour.
He is teeing it up among some of the best players from the European Tour and the Asian Tour this week but he is not fazed at all. “It’s my first trip here for the golf and I’m looking forward to teeing it up,†he said. “I haven’t seen the course yet but I’ll play my first practice round today. I have been resting a bit. The course looks nice and my caddie says it’s good, so we will see. I’m just going to have fun this week and play my best and see what happens then.â€
Of his plans for the next year, Higgo said, “I went to Qualifying School in Europe. It was good because I got through all three stages but I just didn’t get top 25 at the final stage. But the experience was awesome. I have my Challenge Tour card secured for next year and I’ll play there during our winter tour when we don’t have many tournaments.â€
The Afrasia Bank Mauritius is sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, the European Tour and the Asian Tour. It is now in its fifth edition and a new champion is guaranteed because reigning champion, Kurt Kitayama is not in the field to defend.
Will it be Higgo?
