Little did 21-year-old Garrick Higgo know when he packed for a three-week jaunt to the Canary Islands that the experience would be not only beautiful but life-changing.
The South African, who played collegiately at UNLV, is leading after three rounds at the Canary Islands Championship and is looking for his second win in three weeks and his third straight top-10 European Tour finish. He had just a single win on the Euro circuit before this stretch, but after winning the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open and then placing eighth at the Tenerife Open, the lefty is looking to leave the scenic Spanish archipelago with more than $500,000 in winnings.
Higgo followed Friday’s 63 with a rocky 64, overcoming a pair of bogeys with two eagles. He leads Richard Mansell by two strokes and Calum Hill by three heading into the final day of play at Golf Costa Adeje.
Leaderboard: Canary Islands Championship
We’ll give you that one @garrick_higgo #CanaryIslandsChampionship pic.twitter.com/4VHGLz5W4C
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 8, 2021
If he wins, Higgo would move into the top five in the lucrative Race to Dubai and improve on his already skyrocketing spot of No. 66 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The top American in the field is Julian Suri, who sits T-9 at 13 under. Suri is a Duke product who lives in St. Augustine, Florida.