Harry Higgs finished tied for 14th at The Masters last April. He has seen competitive golf get a little closer to him, and much of the joy of the game he adored growing up is gone.
He does what he is supposed to do, hitting the range for hours and then following up with a routine of putting- and chipping drills at Trinity Forest, his home club near Dallas.
Higgs is known for his warm personality and clever one-liners. But he admits that some fun was lost while playing at the highest level of the game. After leaving Augusta, he missed five consecutive cuts and lost his Tour card. This was after a disappointing year in which he finished outside the top 10.
Higgs was happy to have some fun when he saw the Tito’s Shorties Classic make a second appearance.
The event is held at Butler Pitch and Putt, downtown Austin, Texas. It involves four people playing skins on a stamp. This is one of the most lively cities in America. Drinks in hand. Talk about trash. Walking together, dogs and PGA Tour pros. Perhaps this was the final straw Higgs needed to get through a difficult stretch.
Although the event was held in November, it will be aired on Golf Channel at 7 p.m. on January 11, 2023. ET. Amanda Renner and Bob Does Sports will provide commentary. Tito donated $290,000. to each charity he was playing for.
Higgs stated, “I went on a men’s trip with four of my club members, and I have done some other things for fun here and there. But every time that I do something similar, I think and speak aloud to practically anyone that will listen.
“One thing that surprised me most was, now, in my fourth year, how quickly it turned into a job which I probably knew was coming but not as fast as it did.”
Even though Beau Hossler and Joel Dahmen, who are both returning players, felt that the Shorties Classic was a job, it doesn’t feel like one.
Joel Dahmen raises both his hands during the Tito’s Shorties Classic. Keith Mitchell and Beau Hossler will be watching. (Photo courtesy PGA Tour Entertainment)
Higgs, Dahmen and Mitchell will always be connected through their half-naked escapade last year at the WM Phoenix Open . Mitchell is an old friend that Higgs shared while playing on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Hossler, a University of Texas graduate, is the player Higgs calls “the smartest guy in foursome”, although he believes he’s smarter than he actually is.
Higgs says that this year’s event is a repeat of the debut. In which Pat Perez was shut out and Harold Varner III won the top prize for charity, Varner III sank a 15-footer with one hand on his putter, and the other wrapped around the beach ball.
span style=”font weight: 400 This is how we got into this game. To be outdoors and perhaps travel to exotic places. But you don’t travel around. Because you may live down the street, you don’t have to travel far. Higgs stated that this is why we all joined the game: to have fun with each other. Enjoy some competition. You can also have some fun with your friends, but not like that. This is exactly what .”
Higgs is known to be a fun guy. After making the cut in both of his previous events, which were both sponsored exemptions, Higgs hopes that his game is trending in a positive direction. SMU’s product shot a second-round score of 62 at Mayakoba, en route to a T-31. He then followed that up with a T-21 at RSM Classic.
He can’t tell you how he played at Butler but it makes sense that he may have displayed the skills that allowed him to finish in the top 25 for his first two seasons of Tour.
He thinks that the foursome was clean enough to provide 22 minutes of programming for Golf Channel, something he was concerned about last year.
“I believe we did a decent job entertaining people this year. I think it was evident in person, and I imagine it will be entertaining on TV.” Higgs stated. “Last year, I couldn’t believe that they managed to find 30 minutes without us cursing based on our past experiences.
Higgs was able to follow comments made by Dahmen last year about how the urban-golf setting could be used in every city.
span style=”font weight: 400 I had heard about Butler but hadn’t been there. He said that he had friends in Austin or Dallas who heard about our plans and gave him a heads-up. But every major city needs something like this. Butler is the one who makes it all happen. It was probably close to a thousand people there. They were just walking around and chatting, and you can see their expressions on their faces.
“I don’t believe the PGA Tour pros should be in the business or growing the game. It’s a topic that gets discussed a lot. I have always felt a bit like you shouldn’t listen. If you’re like me, we need more courses and more Butler. You know what? Maybe we could come out and highlight the courses in the area and for a good cause, like we did. That will definitely help the game grow.”
