Garrick Higgo (-18) is one step closer to achieving what would be his second victory of the season and third of his career on the PGA Tour this week. After his two fantastic opening rounds of 65 and 66 strokes, this Saturday he signed a round of 67 strokes, with six birdies and one bogey, which opens up a gap in the leaderboard and once again demonstrates his expertise in tournaments where the big names of the circuit choose not to participate due to scheduling issues. This is how he won the Palmetto Championship in 2021, and the Corales Puntacana last April. A pattern he hopes to repeat this Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson.
Only Steven Fisk (-16), with two consecutive cards of 65 strokes, Danny Walker (-16), who is keeping up with the leader’s relentless pace of birdies, and Taylor Montgomery (-15), who was leading the leaderboard during this ‘moving day’ but faded at the end, seem in a position to challenge Higgo this Sunday. And while it’s wise not to rule out names like the experienced Matt Kuchar (-14), Frankie Capan III (-14), or Vince Whaley (-14), their four-stroke disadvantage complicates their task. Max Homa (-13) also makes a push with a tremendous 64 today and is tied for eighth with Tom Kim (-13) with an almost impossible mission ahead.
Higgo said yesterday that playing with Scheffler in the final round of the Procore, the tournament before the Ryder Cup, served as a learning experience. And although he hasn’t been particularly precise from the tee throughout the tournament, his approach, recovery, and especially putting are making a difference. He is fifth in greens in regulation this week, fifth in strokes gained with the putter, and seventh in metres of putts made. Just over 61% of fairways with some good ‘bombs’ from the tee (13th in driving distance) have been enough to reach the final 18 holes as the main candidate for victory.
What are the odds 😅 pic.twitter.com/WNzUYGqoqR
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 4, 2025
To distance himself from his pursuers, he even had to ask for help from the referees in an unusual situation where his playing partner Eric Cole (-13)‘s ball literally stuck to his in a bunker. Tomorrow, he will weigh whether his consistency over all these days at the Jackson Golf Club and his desire to win again outweigh the need that haunts most of his opponents to achieve a victory or a notable result that allows them to resolve their issues in the FedEx Cup to retain playing rights in 2026.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” confessed Higgo after his round. “I made good recoveries, but above all, I managed to stay patient and wait for my moment. Tomorrow I’m going to play as if I’m behind in the standings and try to be as aggressive as I can to make as many birdies as possible. It’s my way of playing and, fortunately, I think this course suits my game well,” detailed the South African, who will face the final round with a small margin but with the conviction that, finally, his best game is back.
As for the players from the DP World Tour, Rasmus Hojgaard (-12), notable on this moving day with a great round of 66 strokes, takes another step to secure his card without suffering too much in the remaining autumn schedule; Thorbjorn Olesen (-11), with a 67 this Saturday, is also on the rise despite being more in need than the recent Ryder winner, while Victor Perez (-10), also with 67 strokes today, needs a bigger push if he wants to get closer to that top 100 in the overall circuit standings that allows him to continue next year.
