Gary Player hailed South African golf great Garrick Higgo after he won the Palmetto Championship.
Global (22 June 2021) – Nine-time major championship winner Gary Player has congratulated South African Garrick Higgo after he won the Palmetto Championship in South Carolina.
The tournament was Higgo’s maiden start on the PGA Tour (non-major). But the 22-year-old left-hander from Stellenbosch, Western Cape, has already made a mark for himself by winning the trophy.
Higgo shot 11 under for the tournament and won the Palmetto Championship by one stroke.
Player says his game on the greens has been phenomenal, and that primarily helped him get the trophy.
“He is talented, extremely talented. He works hard and is very strong and very fit. His basic fundamentals are excellent.” – Gary Player
According to Player, what stood out in Higgo’s game was his putting.
“It’s hard to make predictions, but it looks like he’s got a great future ahead of him. He’s got the thing called ‘it’, which you can’t say about many players,” he said to Goodthingsguy.com.
“It’s a bit early to determine to what degree he’s got ‘it, but I’ve only seen about 15 players in my lifetime that truly have ‘it’. It’s up to him; you’ve got to believe it yourself, as nobody can do that for you.”
“To only play two PGA events in America and win is quite remarkable. I feel the media missed out on the most extraordinary story. He shot 255, I want to repeat that, 255 in Europe, and won the tour by numerous strokes. He finished fourth in the next one, and then won again in the third one,” he enthuses.
While Higgo’s South African coach focuses on theory, Player concentrates on the mental aspects of the game.
He also commends the young golfer for overcoming adversity after losing his father in a car crash, and describes him as one of the most well-behaved, appreciate young men he’s ever dealt with.
“There are so many people playing the tour today who do well but have noticeable faults in the swing. This is what we are trying to make sure he doesn’t have so that he has a long career.”
Player is keen to see what the future holds for the exceptional talent that is Garrick Higgo.