Harry Higgs’ answer about his pro golf future is one of the most earnest things you’ll ever hear

Harry Higgs has made just three cuts in 11 PGA Tour starts this season, but his place among the game’s most popular interview subjects remains secure.

The former SMU standout has built a reputation on equal parts honesty and humor, offering an unfiltered look at the pressures, frustrations and realities of professional golf while delivering the kind of locker-room stories that leave reporters laughing and readers wanting more. In a sport where polished soundbites are often the norm, Higgs’ candor is a refreshing rarity.

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Higgs is seldom short on entertainment value, and a memorable misstep at the U.S. Open only reinforced that reputation. While pulling the tournament’s opening tee time at Shinnecock Hills, Higgs arrived for the first round wearing shorts, a wardrobe choice prohibited under both PGA Tour and USGA regulations.

The mistake didn’t dawn on him until he reached the locker room. In a scramble to avoid an embarrassing start, he borrowed a pair of pants from Anthony Naylor, a seasoned road warrior on the professional circuit whose similar frame made him the perfect emergency outfitter. After the opening two rounds, Higgs was among the top 10 on the leaderboard, although a 77 on Saturday sunk his chances of contending. He finished T-43.

And prior to that, Higgs gave Golfweek an interview for the ages when he explained why he’ll eventually make a great TV commentator as long as he gets the freedom to say what he wants. As part of that chat, Higgs explained that losing players to LIV wasn’t simply about talent, but also about some of the game’s most “colorful” characters going to the rival league:

I obviously live golf and everything, right? And as for the division (with LIV Golf) and all that stuff, I don’t necessarily agree but I don’t blame any of these guys for leaving.

But we joke back and forth — they took all the assholes. They took all the villains. And that’s a problem. They took some of our best players, too. But those who have left haven’t put this in a spot where it’s like, oh, shit, you know, all the great players are gone and playing somewhere else. That’s not the case, but they took some of the ones who would have stories written about them maybe in a negative light with kind of negative connotations. And OK, that’s kind of a driving force for people to read your story or for people to turn their television on.I struggle with this.

At this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event, the Advent Health Championship in Kansas City, Higgs gave one of the most honest answers imaginable about where he stands in the game, how difficult the remainder of the season will likely be, and what lies ahead.

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“I love the pursuit. And I’m focusing much, too much, much too much, which is not how you should say that, but much too much on the result of everything. And that’s just the way the business is, right? The better the results are, the more self-belief, the less doubt, you’re usually happier,” Higgs said at the event held at Blue Hills Country Club. “I’m trying to come up with ways to not worry about the result and just worry about the pursuit. You know, this year’s been a lot of enjoying it more Monday through Wednesday instead of the Thursday to Sunday, because I’m just not being super nice to myself. And just getting down when, even, you know, it wasn’t even that bad of a shot or I wasn’t really that far off. Or I wasn’t really ready, which is something I can control. That pisses me off, but I do love it.”

Higgs, who shot 65 on Friday and made the cut, said he’s still enjoying the game, but the lens he sees it through has changed.

“I don’t think that I’m nearing the end, but. I think I’m coming to grips with, like, yeah, this is golf, is cool. And it is really cool, being able to do this, and every day, almost every hour, the pursuit of trying to get better at this thing is a lot of fun,” he said. “I need to kick the results, who cares, you know, which is impossible to do completely and totally, and enjoy the competition a little bit more. That’s definitely going to kind of be the goal. I finish this year out, which is going to be a stressful finish. How do I set up? What’s going to be next year? All this stuff.

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“But yeah, if I finish playing in the next handful of years or who knows? I’ve come to grips with that I’ll be okay too. I’ve got a great family. I’m enjoying being here and playing that Dad role and cleaning up after everybody and trying to do my part.

“If it’s not golf, I’ll figure it out, but I’m certainly looking forward to making this conversation a blip on the radar and going from there. And I really do think that I can achieve some pretty great things in the game still. I just kind of gotta keep that belief for the five hours as we walk around.

“And when it gets hard, you know, when I’m not feeling my best or swinging my best or whatever. Keep that belief and go from there.”

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek.

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This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Harry Higgs’ answer about his pro golf future is one of the most earnest things you’ll ever hear