Higgo feeling healthy, leads in Mississippi going into weekend

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Garrick Higgo kept his ball in play and took advantage of enough birdie chances for a 6-under 66 on Friday to build a one-shot lead in the Sanderson Farms Championship, a Fall Series event that feels like a new start to the South African.

Higgo ran off three straight birdies late in his round at the Country Club of Jackson, one of them the short par-4 15th where he nearly holed his bunker shot and tapped in for birdie.

He was at 13-under 131, one shot ahead of Eric Cole (67) and Taylor Montgomery, who had nine birdies in a 10-hole stretch — the exception was a bogey. He holed a 25-foot birdie on his final hole for a 63 to boost his chances of keeping a PGA Tour card for 2026.

Only the top 100 keep full PGA Tour cards after the Fall Series end in November. Five tournaments are left on the schedule.

Cole had 10 birdies in the opening round, offset by a double bogey late in his round. He added seven more birdies on a calm, sunny afternoon to get in the final round as Cole goes after his first PGA Tour title.

Danny Walker (68) was two shots behind in an important week for him. Walker is at No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Vince Whaley (No. 102 in the standings) had another 67 and Tom Kim (No. 99) saved par from a bunker on the 18th for a 66. They were three shots behind.

“I’ve made a bunch of cuts and feel like I’ve played good the last six months,” Whaley said. “It’s getting harder and harder out here, and you need those big finishes, and I don’t feel like I’ve had that.”

Higgo already has one PGA Tour win this year, a week after the Masters in an opposite-field event in the Dominican Republic. But that nearly felt like the end. He suffered a labrum injury that all but wrecked the rest of the season.

Higgo debated having surgery on his hip after the regular season, but realized he could handle it with a change in his fitness routine. He is lifting less and being smarter.

“It wasn't hurting me in my swing, but walking made it really bad, and then it would pinch the next day,” Higgo said. “So just figuring out how I can avoid that. I’ve changed the way I work out, just being a bit more clever with that, I would say.”

He said the pain level is now 1 out of 10, though he still fatigues quicker than usual. But he feels like he's back on the right track.

Higgo played in the final group with Scottie Scheffler at the Procore Championship, where he tied for seventh. He's in the midst of another good week at the Sanderson Farms.

Unlike most players in the field, his FedEx Cup rank is of little consequence. Having won the Puntacana Championship, he has his PGA Tour card locked up and is in The Players Championship. The Fall Series events no longer get a Masters invitation.

The final round with Scheffler was an eye-opener watching how the world's No. 1 player operates and eventually wins.

“I couldn’t tell you how much I learned, but I learned so much just by watching,” Higgo said. “He’s an inspiration for all of us. He’s set the bar so high. It’s just phenomenal how high his skill level is.”

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