Home star Higgins all out to turn it on

DAVID HIGGINS tees it up at the Irish Open, presented by Discover Ireland, tomorrow confident he can parlay his Irish PGA Order of Merit lead into a strong European Tour showing.

The Waterville pro and former European Tour member will be on familiar ground at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club this week as he puts aside his Irish PGA campaign for a few days and mixes it with the elite.

“I am looking forward to it,” said the 38-year-old.

“It’s a course I seem to do well at in the Irish PGA pro-ams. But I haven’t done a lot in the Irish Opens. I’m trying to change that record. My game is good but it’s all about not getting in your own way. If we could just play it like a pro-am, we’d be okay.

“I suppose it’s always a case of trying a bit too hard, having a bit more pressure, but if you can get over that, my game is as good as anybody’s out on that Tour so all I have to do is not get in my own way.

“So I am looking forward to it. It’ll be great, there’ll a big crowd there and it will be very exciting stuff.”

Higgins earned his spot in the Irish Open field courtesy of his Irish PGA Order of Merit finale win at the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet event in Kilkenny last autumn, which was recently confirmed for a repeat run in association with Ping this October over three days. Higgins welcomed the return of both the sponsors for 2011 and the venue.

“It’s a great bonus for us, €10,000 for the winner, it’s great. In these difficult times, to get a big cheque like that is very good. We’re lucky, we’ve got some good sponsors and it’s fantastic.

“And Mount Juliet’s always great. If you didn’t like that place, there’s something wrong with you. It’s one tournament we always look forward to. We play for decent enough money during the year but that event is an extra bonus.”

Higgins sealed victory with a seven-under final round last October that saw the Kerryman card eight birdies in his last 11 holes.

The win also came with some nice extras.

“There were another good couple of bonuses, into the PGA at Wentworth and the Irish Open as well. That’s a great plus, if you win in anything it means you’re playing well. It may not be the biggest tournament in the world but if you’re winning it you must be doing something right.”

Higgins seems to be doing something right again this year, once again occupying top spot in the Irish PGA Order of Merit heading into next week’s Championship at Seapoint and looking for a boost in Killarney this week to send him on his merry way.

“I’m doing quite well this year and I just have to try to keep it going, make a few putts and you never know what’s around the corner.

“But it would be nice to do well at the Irish Open. I’ll be competitively sharp, maybe not in a bigger event like this, but I’ve no excuses to be here and not play well.”

And with Irish golf at an all-time high right now following the major successes of Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke, Higgins believes the current success is a huge boost for Ireland’s next generation of golfers, whom Higgins mixed with at the recent EuroPro Tour event at Fota Island, last month’s Audi Cork Irish Masters.

“Because Rory’s Irish and we see him a lot more and see those fellas doing well, like when Pádraig won his majors, you think ‘wow, somebody I know actually went and won one and things like that are possible’.

“It’s fantastic for Irish golf, especially the young lads playing events like the EuroPro Tour.

“I wouldn’t know them well, because I don’t play that many events, but seeing them all at Fota, they seem to have that swagger which shows the sort of confidence you need in order to be successful.

“That’s good to see in young fellas starting out in their careers and when they get to the Challenge Tour and onto the European Tour, they’ll be prepared and ready to step right up to the next level.

“It’s the same game and you just have to keep going and keep at it.”