Higgins successfully defends his title

WATERVILLE’S David Higgins got the new season on the Irish PGA circuit off to a great start with victory in the Irish PGA Irish Club Professional Tournament at Dromoland Castle on Friday last.

The 44-year old Kerryman fired two consecutive level rounds of 72 in very blustery conditions to successfully defend the title that he won last year at Dunmurry Springs in County Kildare.

Trailing first round leader Adam Dunmore from Bundoran by two shots after the first round, Higgins played very steady golf in the difficult conditions in round two and became locked in a battle for the lead with Clontarf’s Eamon Brady as the overnight leader Dunmore fell away to a disastrous round of 87 to fall completely out of contention.

Higgins made his lone birdie of the day at the par five fourth and parred his way to the par three seventeenth which he bogeyed but still held a one shot over Brady facing into the difficult final hole.

Brady decided safety was the best option electing to play a two iron from the tee and after deciding to hit it off the turf, he actually topped it into the marsh and ended up with a double-bogey seven while Higgins made par, to lift the title by a three shot margin.

“I was delighted with that today and because of the wind, there was disaster around every corner, so I kept it steady and kept the big numbers off my card.

It was a great couple of days, fantastic weather and a spectacular setting for the course which was set up tough. It played a bit ‘linksy’ which was right up my alley and considering the course set-up and the high winds I was delighted to shoot level par,” Higgins said afterwards.