Popular PGA Tour player Harry Higgs was on the cusp of securing his status for the next two seasons until a moment of brilliance from Ryan Fox snatched victory at the Myrtle Beach Classic
Harry Higgs came up just short at the Myrtle Beach Classic(Image: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Harry Higgs says he will not be deterred despite having a golden chance to secure his PGA Tour future was snatched from his grasp.
The popular Kansas native was chasing his first PGA Tour victory at the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic on Sunday after finishing locked at the top of the leaderboard with Ryan Fox and Mackenzie Hughes. Higgs, who carded a three-under-par final round to reach 15-under for the week and make the playoff, was in a promising position on the first extra hole after finding the green.
But it was New Zealander Fox who would claim the victory, chipping in from 53 feet while Higgs and Hughes missed their putts. It was Fox’s first win on American shores.
In addition to banking a handsome $720,000 in prize money, 38-year-old Fox also qualified for this week’s PGA Championship and secured his future on the PGA Tour. The victory comes with a two-year exemption, which means he will retain his card until at least the end of the 2027 season.
That prize could have been a career-defining boost for Higgs, who lost his tour card at the end of a dismal 2023 season. The 33-year-old would respond in style, bagging a pair of Korn Ferry Tour victories in back-to-back weeks 12 months ago, playing his way back to the big time.
This season, however, has been a struggle, with no top-25 results on the PGA Tour until Sunday’s runner-up finish. He sits in 112th place in the FedEx Cup standings, and with new rules brought in this year, meaning only the top-100 players are guaranteed to keep their cards, Higgs has plenty of work to do to ensure he remains a PGA Tour member.
CHIP-IN FOR THE WIN! 😱 🏆
@RyanFoxGolfer steals his first TOUR title in dramatic fashion @MyrtleBeachCl! pic.twitter.com/4ILEwU4W40— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 11, 2025
Sunday’s outcome was a bitter pill to swallow, but Higgs took it with grace. He said: “I’m proud and bummed out. It felt like this one was mine. Hopefully, I get another chance, and I think that I will. I think that I’m on the right path, as long as I continue it.
“I’ve had issues getting slightly complacent when I have some success, so I would like to prove to myself that I’ve learned from that and continue to get in the mix.
“This was so much fun. That’s, again, the reason why you do the 4:00 a.m. wake-ups, flying all around, doing all the things that we have to do just to have the chance that I just had. I really enjoyed it. I’m really looking forward to the next time that I have this chance.”
Higgs added that he can have few regrets with how the final moments of the tournament played out, accepting that Fox produced a moment of sheer brilliance to steal the title.
“What an awesome shot Ryan hit. What an awesome three he made to drive it in the left rough and then have a chance to make birdie. It was pretty impressive on that hole,” Higgs said.
“I kind of did nothing wrong. I just misread the putt just a little bit. His chip was kind of on my line. It was not too hard, but it was moving pretty fast. So it made me play my putt maybe a little further right.
“I probably should have clued in that his had some speed to it. Should have played mine a little straighter. I should have hit the wedge closer than I did, 25 some odd feet.
“Yeah, I’ve got nothing to hang my head on here. I proved a lot to myself really today and the last couple of days, especially playing in the rain. Yeah, really looking forward to what’s to come next.”
