Nine-time Majors champion and golf legend, Gary Player’s influence on a young Garrick Higgo was immense. Similar childhood tragedies of losing a parent meant Player could be the right guide for Higgo in the latter’s journey to become a golf pro. At 26 years of age, Garrick Higgo has become an accomplished golfer, with PGA Tour wins and numerous accolades that prove his all-around mettle.

And mentor Gary Player had predicted the upward trajectory when Higgo won his first European Tour event in 2020. “I’ve worked closely with Garrick, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching his game develop to where it is now. Big things to come from this young man,” the South African golf legend wrote in his tweet, as Higgo was just starting, having turned pro in 2019 as a 20-year-old.

For Garrick Higgo, the golf journey was not just about himself; he was carrying forward a legacy of being a successful golfer from South Africa. Born on May 12, 1999, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Higgo grew up in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape province. His mother’s name is Susan, and he also has two siblings: an older brother, Michael, and a younger sister, Calis. Not much is known about his father, who died in a car accident when Garrick was just 9 years old.

“I was really young. I can’t remember much,” Higgo shared with AP in May 2021. “That was tough, but it changed me for the better.” In fact, Gary Player knew he would have to be the mentor as the icon himself lost his mother when he was about Higgo’s age. So, he knew how difficult it could be for a little boy. “He’s been such a support since then and has sent me a lot of letters throughout the years, or called me at times to help,” Garrick Higgo shared with AP.

Higgo’s talents were on show since his teenage years. He was the No. 1-ranked amateur golfer in South Africa and was in the Golf RSA National Squad. In 2016, he became the only South African to qualify and play in both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur in the same year, showcasing his progress he was making under coach Cliff Barnard.

The following year, he recorded eight top-10 finishes in 12 starts on the Open Amateur circuit, and had medalist honors in the Cape Province Open, The Bobby Locke, Harry Oppenheimer Trophy, and Nomads National Order of Merit Coastal (Junior). His potential took him to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). But his roots brought him back to South Africa only after 2 semesters. “I knew if I was at home, I knew where I could get my game,” Higgo said to AP. “And I wasn’t going to get there at UNLV. I don’t mean it that way. I loved it there. I just don’t think it was the right fit for me.”

And it did work. Albeit, it involved the gutsy move of his going pro at 20. But his connection to his native place brought out the best in him. Higgo won in his debut at the Big Easy IGT Challenge #3 of the Big Easy Tour, a developmental circuit in South Africa. Then, entering the Sunshine Tour, he capped his first victory at the Sun City Challenge with a 7 under par score (total 209).

And he has not looked back since, perfecting his ball-striking and earning comparisons with Phil Mickelson for his finesse touch around the greens. And Garrick Higgo was always a hard striker of the ball. But how does the pro spend his time away from the golf course?

Garrick Higgo is more than just a golfer

Well, his golf accolades include being the fastest South African to reach three non-Major or WGC victories. And Higgo matched Tiger Woods for needing the fewest number of events (26) to claim three European or PGA TOUR wins since 1990. Higgo achieved it after winning the 2021 Palmetto Championship of the PGA Tour, the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open, and the Open de Portugal of the DP World Tour.

But golf didn’t become his focus until he was 13. And that tilt came after he broke his elbow playing rugby, a staple sport in South Africa. Well, he did have a decade-long familiarity with golf, having started playing the sport when he was just 3 years old. His introduction to golf was through a plastic club, and now he commands a driver with authority.

But when his work on the golf course is done, he likes to relax with a book, as can be inferred from his Instagram bio, “Id rather be reading.” Well, for a guy who likes to bring speed and power to the sport, his hobby of reading seems to balance things out. And when not reading, Garrick Higgo is busy creating a beautiful life with his wife and childhood sweetheart, Chandre Janeke.