Eagle hero Higgins earns place in Open

A SPECTACULAR eagle two at the ninth proved crucial as Waterville’s David Higgins yesterday made it through to next week’s Open Championship at Turnberry with a splendid performance over the Glasgow Gailes links in the final local qualifying round.

His achievement means Ireland will have seven players in the championship – Higgins, holder Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley and Damien McGrane.

Higgins’s career was interrupted over the last couple of years by illness that kept him off the European Tour circuits for six months and cost him dearly where qualifying to get into the most important tournaments was concerned. But he has come back fit and well this year and he is currently out in front in the Irish PGA Region order of merit by a comfortable distance.