Let’s go Higgo!

 22-year-old South African Garrick Higgo claimed his first PGA TOUR win in just his second start. Let’s go Higgo! [View Online]( [Wire-to-Wire Logo] Garrick Higgo won the Palmetto Championship at Congaree. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Teeing Off [HIGGO HANDLES HADLEY AT CONGAREE]( The main storylines for Sunday were as follows: Will leader Chesson Hadley win for the first time in seven years? Can Harrish English close the gap and pull out a victory? And will Dustin Johnson make a final-round charge? Perhaps there should have been more talk about Garrick Higgo. The 22-year-old South African came from seemingly nowhere to shoot 3-under 68 to win by one shot and avoid a seven-man playoff. It was his first PGA TOUR win in only two starts. “It’s amazing,” Higgo said. “I just stayed patient all week. I’ve worked so hard with my coach on my short game and my putting. I guess all of that paid off.” It was Higgo’s fourth victory in seven months, with the first three coming on the European Tour. He is now fully exempt through the 2022-23 PGA TOUR season and earned his way into some of golf’s biggest events, including THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the Sentry Tournament of Champions. [divider] [TAKING ON TORREY PINES]( A U.S. Open champion will be crowned for the second time this season after [Bryson DeChambeau bombed]( his way to a first major title at Winged Foot in September. A full field, with nearly half comprised of [players who survived the “Longest Day in Golf,](” heads to the West Coast with [Torrey Pines South hosting its second U.S. Open]( and first since Tiger Woods’ memorable playoff victory in 2008. DeChambeau defends against the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm. Rahm [confirmed on Saturday that he was cleared to play]( after being withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide due to a positive COVID-19 test. The story of the week certainly will [center around Phil Mickelson](, who became the oldest [men’s major champion ever after his euphoric PGA win at Kiawah](. He can complete the elusive career Grand Slam on his home course. Mickelson turns 51 on Wednesday, meaning a win would also break the record he set less than a month ago. Xander Schauffele seeks his own home win and can look back on the 2008 finish for inspiration as he [watched Woods perched on a gum tree]( as a young fan. Schauffele has yet to finish outside of the top 6 in four U.S. Open starts. Patrick Reed has an eye on history after a win earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open which also takes place at the storied California course. Should he pull off the Torrey double, he would join Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win a TOUR event and U.S. Open on the same course in the same year. And for all your live streaming and broadcast information this week, [click here for the official USGA Viewing Schedule](. [divider] [PEREIRA MOVES UP TO PGA TOUR]( Mito Pereira earned his third Korn Ferry Tour title of the 2020-21 season Sunday at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. With the victory, [Pereira became the 12th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to earn a Three-Victory Promotion to the PGA TOUR](, and the first since Wesley Bryan in 2016. Pereira’s TOUR membership activates immediately, and he will be eligible for the 2021 FedExCup Playoffs if he concludes the Regular Season inside the top 125 on the FedExCup standings. Video Of The Week Garrick Higgo makes eagle on the par-5 12th after hitting his 183-yard approach to 9 feet. The Turn MIC CHECK “I’m so glad my mom’s here. I just love my family.” - Garrick Higgo after winning the Palmetto Championship at Congaree for his first PGA TOUR win. “It was a good show. It wasn’t always outstanding golf, but the course was very tough. It tested your patience, your fortitude. A lot of people are going to say I backed into winning the PGA. A lot of people are going to say I backed into this one. But I don’t feel I backed into this one. I played my ass off.” - Payne Stewart reflecting on his second major title after a playoff victory at the 1991 U.S. Open. [Dig deeper into Stewart’s major victory here](. “It has 62 different pieces … It’s definitely the most complex thing I’ve ever done. It took a long time to get it to work, and I basically had 13 or 14 days,” - Dallas based designer-fabricator [Tyson Lamb]( on building the [one-of-a-kind trophy for the Palmetto Championship at Congaree](. [divider] BY THE NUMBERS 3 – Putts for Dustin Johnson on the par-4 16th on Sunday. It was his first three-putt in 141 holes. 8 – [Tournaments to be played on the Mackenzie Tour–PGA TOUR Canada in 2021](. The Tour announced the schedule and tournament plans last week. 10 – Shot penalty incurred by [Mark Hensby]( after he self-reported an accidental violation of the One Ball Rule. A bogey-birdie-par-birdie-par run on the front became a triple bogey-bogey-double bogey-bogey-double bogey nightmare. 12 – [Korn Ferry Tour]( players who will tee it up at Torrey Pines including Will Zalatoris, big-hitting Taylor Pendrith and Cameron Young who comes in scorching hot recently winning in back-to-back weeks. 20 – Date in June to plan for as Father’s Day nears. [Check out the PGA TOUR’s Gift Guide]( tailored specifically for what dads want. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [TERMS & PRIVACY]( To remove yourself from all future PGA TOUR WIRE2WIRE communications please click here: [Unsubscribe]( PGA TOUR 1 PGA TOUR Boulevard Ponte Vedra, FL 32082 Attn: Marketing, Fan Engagement ©2021 PGA TOUR WIRE2WIRE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED