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David Higgins faces a long solitary journey home to Kerry from Western Australia after just one level par round at the ISPS Perth International and finishing on Sunday one over par for a share of 56th place. More than twenty places adrift of safety in the Race to Dubai Rankings needed to claim automatic playing rights for next season.
After thirteen visits to Qualifying School since 1994 the talented Higgins contemplated the journey once again after a season's best earnings of €215,000 fell short by fifteen thousand euro. Reflecting an indifferent first half to the season this year.
“I’m naturally disappointed but you have to try so this is where we are now,” he said.
“Nothing worked out over the weekend. I played lovely on Sunday but just didn’t get any breaks on Saturday so it’s back to Q School.
“I thought after making the cut I could shoot a couple of 60 somethings but it just didn’t work out and it’s very frustrating.”
Higgins is a multiple winner of Irish PGA order of Merit in recent years, and added the Irish PGA Championship to his trophy list in 2012.
Having won the Irish PGA Order of Merit on numerous occasions Higgins was fulfilling the promise gained from being part of a golfing family as his Father, Liam, is a veteran of the European Tour and Senior Tour.
Not surprisingly by the time David was twenty-one he was the country's leading amateur, and following match play victories over Pádraig Harrington in the South of Ireland and the Irish Amateur Close championships - he decided to turn professional in 1994.
In his Rookie season in 1996 Higgins earned £67,000 finishing just inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit. The following year he broke his left wrist and right elbow in a horse riding accident and failed to rediscover his form on his return to the game dropping down to the Challenge Tour in 1999.
In 2000 Higgins won three times on the Challenge Tour and was ranked 2nd at the end of the season earning his playing rights back on the European Tour for the following season.
Having been unable to make the breakthrough over a few years Higgins returned to the Challenge Tour in 2005 finishing 12th - earning playing rights for the European Tour once again.
However Higgins lost his card at the end of 2007.
In 2009 he qualified for The Open Championship in Turnberry and in winning the Irish PGA Order of Merit earned a place at the 3 Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth - failing to make the cut at all three events.
But in recent seasons David has remained a consistent force on the Irish PGA Region, winning five times - including the Quinn Insurance Pro Am and a second place at the Southern Championship in Powerscourt behind Eamonn Darcy in 2010.
Although he failed to qualify for the 150th Open Championship at St Andrew's, along with a bigger disappointment in the September when he failed to make it through European Tour Qualifying School Stage 1 at Dundonald Links that same year.
In 2011 at Stage 3 of European Tour Qualifying School at the PGA Catalunya the Waterville professional man missed out once again on a quick return to the main Tour
But in 2012 he came back stronger and improved on his two previous outings at the BMW PGA Championship, ending a magnificent performance at a sun kissed Wentworth Course, with a two under par final round 70, and slaying a tough West Course that over four days had taken a number of high profile Irish casualties.
None less than the World Number One, Rory McIlroy, the 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, the 2010 US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell and three time major winner Padraig Harrington.
Amidst the carnage though Higgins exuded composure travelling around Wentworth with a remarkable consistency and carding three rounds of 70, with only the one blip on a windy Saturday when reaching the historic Gothic clubhouse in a two over par 74
In was his third consecutive appearance at the BMW PGA Championship with Higgins slaying his own demons on the Sunday to finish in tenth place.
Higgins then crowned the year by capturing the Irish PGA championship at Mount Juliet and underlined his ranking as the number one player after he beat assistant professional Noel Murray from Massereene in a play-off.
The Waterville man, who fired a best of the day final round of five-under-par 67 to reach the play-off, said it was the fulfilment of a boyhood dream to lift the trophy that his father Liam lifted in 1983.
"I remember looking at the trophy as a young lad and saying it would be lovely to win it.I tried for a long time to win it and did it today and I'm just delighted."
In July David Higgins narrowly missed out on qualifying for the British Open after his five-under was one shot short of the qualifying mark at St Annes Old, with former Ryder Cup pair Barry Lane and Paul Broadhurst, both squeezing in.
However on the PGA Catalunya's Stadium Course in December 2012, Higgins signed for a final round 70 to earn the most cherished of prizes - one of the 25 automatic places - and made a return to the European Tour five years after losing his card.
In 2013 a second place finish at the Open D'Italia Lindt gave him Higgins late hope of an automatic place for next year, in what was a very disappointing season with too many missed cuts. Including the Irish open at Carton House and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
At 115th in the Race to Dubai Higgins returned to European Tour Final Qualifying and finished 59th after six rounds.
Only the first 25 were guaranteed qualification.
Fact File
DOB: December 1st 1972 in County Cork.
Attachment: Waterville GC
Place of Birth Cork, Ireland
Family Wife: Elizabeth (m. 2008)
Interests Shooting, dogs, fishing
Turned Pro 1994 (plus 3)
Qualifying School (1994), 95*, 97*, 99, 01, 03, 04, 06, (08), (09), (10), 11, 12*, 13
Career:
1989 Irish Boys Championship
1994 Irish Amateur Closed Championship, South of Ireland Championship
European Challenge Tour
2000 NCC Open;
Günther Hamburg Classic
Rolex Trophy
European Tour
2007 loses Tour card
2012 Qualifies for 2013 season after finishing T16th
