CHARLESTOWN professional Jake Higginbottom hopes that a new focus and a catch up with long-term friend and British Open champion Cameron Smith will help invigorate his career.
Higginbottom will line up against Smith and fellow headline acts Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Davis in the $2million Australian PGA Championships at Royal Queensland, starting Thursday.
After the PGA, the 29-year-old had planned to head to Jakarta for the final event on the Asian Tour, the $2.2m Indonesian Masters.
Instead, he will stay home and play in the $1.7m Australian Open at Kingston Heath. The Aussie PGA and Open are co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour.
The decision, means Higginbottom will forfeit any chance of retaining tour status in Asia, his base for eight of the past nine years. The right-hander is 117th on the Order of Merit and would need a top-five finish to move into the top 70.
"I am going to play the Australia Open now," Higginbottom said. "Just the grind of the Asian Tour. I have done it for a long time. Maybe it might be time to look somewhere else."
It has been a frustrating month for Higginbottom.
At the $2.2m International Series Morocco, he carded rounds of 79,72 to miss the cut by a stroke. It was the same scenario a week later at the $2.2m International Series Egypt where he had rounds of 72,69 to miss the cut by a shot.
"When you are probably not playing your best, for some reason, you tend to get a lot of bad breaks," Higginbottom said. "When you are playing well, everything seems to go your way.
"In Morocco I had a poor first round. It was a long way to fight back, but I played well the second day in tough conditions and missed the cut by one.
"In Egypt, I played OK, but didn't hole many putts.
"Everything feels good leading into a tournament. Once you get out there, every now and then, it is not so good."
Higginbottom has spent the past week in Brisbane working with his coach Grant Field, who also mentors Smith. Higginbottom and Smith are the same age and came through juniors together.
"I did a bit of work with my coach on Sunday and Monday and had a practice round with Cam at Royal Queensland," Higginbottom said. "We were good mates back in the day. We grew up playing together in amateur golf. It was nice to get out there. He was a bit jet lagged but will be right by Thursday. He doesn't do anything that is unbelievably better, but he does it in high-pressure situations. He is the same regardless if he plays on a Monday or a Sunday. I am hitting the ball quite well. It is definitely nice to be back in Australia playing decent events."
Europe-based Novocastrian Blake Windred is also in the field. Branxton rookie Corey Lamb is first reserve.
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GRIND ASIA - or expense
Just the grind. I have done it for a long time. Maybe it might be time to look somewhere else.
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In Brisbane for the past week.
NEXT 2 weeks important
I am going to play Aust Open now. Play the Aussie stuff and see how we .
RESIGNED NOT GETTING CARD
I am going to play Aust Open now. Play the Aussie stuff and see how we .
Play the Aussie stuff and see where we are at from there.
GRIND ASIA - or expense
Just the grind. I have done it for a long time. Maybe it might be time to look somewhere else.
MORROCO AND EGYPT - missed cut by a stroke, frustrating
There is some good and bad. There are few things here and there. The hardest thing when you are probably not playing your best, for some reason is you tend to get a lot of bad breaks. When you are playing well, everything seems to go your way.
I didn't play terrible. In Morocco I had a poor first round. It was a tough course. It was a long way to fight back, but I played well the second day in tough conditions and missed the cut by one.
In Egypt, I was a bit scrappy. I played OK, but didn't hole too many putts. Same thing happened.
QLD PG last week - royal qld cpirse
The Aussie PGA was there in January. I don't mind the course.
I played OK, made the cut and came 50th. I feel like it is a course I couple play quite well at if my putting is good this week.
COACH IN QLD
I did a bit of work with him Sun and Mon. I had a practice round at Royal Qld on Mon which was good.
CONFIDENCE - hard to get out of rut
Everything feels good leading into a tournament. Once you get out there every now and then, it is not so good.
AUST Biggest tournemnt - headline stars
It is definitely nice to be back in Australia playing decent events. I had a practice round with Cam Smith.
We have the same coach so it was easy.
We were good mates nack inthe day. We grew up playing together in all our amateur golf.
It was nice to get out there.
HOW HE HITTING IT
He will be right by Thursday. He is a bit jet lagged at the moment.
TAKE CLUB UP junior club .... come through with these.. not out of reach
I played with him. he doesn't do anything that is unbelievably better. He does it in a high pressure situation. It is the same regardless if he plays on a Monday or a Sunday.
HOW HIT
I am hitting quite well.
NEXT
Play 9 on Tuesday, bit of work with the coach. Easy day wednesday, then I will be ready to go.
DAD caddy
He is up caddying and my girlfriend is up. It should be a good week.
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After spending more than a decade working with Gary Barter, Higginbottom has switched to the Grant Field camp.
Based at Pelican Waters on the Sunshine Coast, Field also coaches US PGA tour winner and world No.28 Cameron Smith and European tour player Maverick Ancliff.
He has nine top-10 finishes in 103 events on the Asian Tour which is currently suspended due to COVID.
2018 - 41st with US 95,646.68
