Higgins happy to be back with the big shots

IT cannot be easy for a 29 year-old to turn his back on competitive golf for six months, at a time when his career is in crisis.

But that’s just what David Higgins decided to do one day last autumn. In spite of a glittering amateur career - during which he captured both the Irish Close and South of Ireland Championships- and many good days on the European regular and Challenge Tours, he felt he was going absolutely nowhere.

It now looks, however, as if his “sabbatical” is paying a rich dividend. Having returned to action last April and won four times on the Irish Region of the PGA, he jumped into the lead after yesterday’s first round of the Smurfit PGA Championship at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort. The Waterville man shot a four under par 68 highlighted by a back nine of 30 to take a one stroke lead over Tramore native Cathal Barry on a breezy but extremely pleasant day at the superb Co Limerick complex.