AUGUSTA, Ga. – Harry Higgs had a good feeling right before bad weather canceled play on Tuesday at the Masters, and rather than make some air swings back at the rental house, his brother Alex and coach Corey Lundberg went to Dick’s and bought a hitting net. With his clubs back at Augusta National, Harry used Alex’s 8-iron and went to work. They padded the area with linens and drew a flag on a towel. Managed to stay clear of the neighbor’s house.
“Only hit the ceiling fan once,” Alex said.
Lundberg called it a good session. They even had the TrackMan out.
Historically, ball-striking is Higgs’ strength, but he has struggled of late. The code words this week for his swing are “phone booth” and “dead leg.” Lundberg was pleased to report that Thursday was Higgs’ best ball-striking day in a long time.
This was Harry Higgs during the rain delay two days ago, if you needed a millionth reason to pull for him. pic.twitter.com/Xp1ZTXqetI
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) April 7, 2022
It also happened to be his first competitive round at the Masters. He opened with a 1-under 71 with three straight birdies on Nos. 2-4.
“There’s no secret out here,” said Higgs. “There’s one place to miss, and one place to hit it, and it just falls on you to execute it.”
Mike Higgs said the family used to clear the calendar Masters week when the kids were growing up and camp out in the basement watching the big screen. A group of kids at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Kansas City made up a putting contest that had them go through the four majors.
“If you didn’t win the Masters,” said Alex, “a lot of the times you just stopped.”
There are roughly 50 of Harry’s friends and family in Augusta this week. A group from his home club in Dallas, Trinity Forest, have rented three houses. Some of the kids from those putting contest days are here, too.
Masters: Friday tee times
Last night, his girlfriend’s family threw a party at their rental house after her sister got engaged on the 14th at Augusta, with a view of the iconic 13th in the background. Mike said his sons were in bed by 9 p.m. though, taking the job of the week seriously.
Higgs, 30, first played Augusta National last December with his father and Alex. After hitting the pro shop for a second time after that dream round, the Higgs family found themselves standing outside, not wanting to leave. If only they could pause time.
“They say Magnolia Lane is the best drive in golf,” said Mike. “One of the saddest drives is going the other direction.”
Luckily, it was a bucket-list day that the Higgs family gets to relive over and over.
In the spring, Harry returned with Alex and Lundberg for a practice round.
“I thought I was in outer space for seven holes,” said Lundberg of his first time playing the course.
Team Higgs arrived on Sunday this week and played back-to-back practice rounds with 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson.
“He was a wealth of knowledge,” said Higgs. “He almost would come over and start talking to me when I would look confused. He could almost tell as if he was the same way when it was his first time around here.”
One of the biggest takeaways from his time with Johnson, Higgs noted, was the value of not being too aggressive.
A first-timer at the Masters has finished runner-up the past two years: Sungjae Im (2020) and Will Zalatoris (2021). That stat doesn’t surprise Higgs one bit.
“Guys are really good,” he said, “and most of the young guys, I don’t think they really pay attention to the moment. They get lost in what they’re trying to do. They trust their ability. They’re super confident in it, and a lot of guys just want to show off. They want to prove to themselves and everybody else that they’re capable of winning these things.”
Higgs’ qualified for his first Masters via a tie for fourth at last year’s PGA Championship, his major championship debut. His life-of-the-party, everyman persona makes him an increasingly popular figure on the PGA Tour.
The fun-loving Higgs famously took off his shirt at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year. And while that sort of thing is frowned upon here, Higgs still looked rather exposed at Augusta with his signature one-button-buttoned polo. He also wore a belt he bought in the pro shop last December.
Higgs has a natural bounce to his step, and he casually walked fairways Thursday with his hands in his pockets or a club in tow. While Higgs says he’d prefer to walk around quietly unnoticed, taking care of business, one look at him makes that impossible to believe.
“It’s nice to be myself,” said Higgs, “and to have people recognize and kind of enjoy – again, I can’t believe the words are going to come out of my mouth – but enjoy watching me play golf. I never thought that would be the case.”
The truth is, most can’t get enough.
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