While European Number One David Howell is blazing a trail on the world stage, fellow Englishman Marcus Higley will be hoping some of the magic will rub off on him as he goes into the weekend in a share of the lead in the Thomas Björn Open on the European Challenge Tour.
Higley teamed up with Howell’s coach Clive Tucker last September and is now starting to reap the rewards. A second round of 68, four under par, at Horsens Golf Club in Denmark took the 32 year old from Dorset to seven under par 137 alongside South African Michiel Bothma, who shot a 69.
“I liked what Clive has done with David, where he has been able to change his swing but still play well,” said Higley. “That’s the trick and I didn’t feel I was improving so I thought it was definitely worth a try. It would obviously be fantastic if I could emulate some of what David has achieved.”
Howell, the current European Number One having won the BMW Championship at Wentworth Club a fortnight ago and the HSBC Champions tournament at the start of the season, where he held of the challenge from World Number One Tiger Woods, has climbed into the World Top Ten under the tutelage of Tucker.
An eagle on the par five 18th, Higley’s ninth, after holing a 25 foot putt was the highlight of an impressive round that included a further three birdies on par fives and just one dropped shot.
“It’s been a reasonable season so far with a few top tens but I need a couple of big weeks to get climb the Rankings, hopefully this will be one of them,” added Higley, who was also on the receiving end of an overdue pep talk from this girlfriend, Elizabeth, last week.
“She told me to start growing up,” he admitted. “I tend to get down fairly quickly on the course and what she said was probably due. But she is very encouraging and it was something that needed to be said.”
Higley is joined at the top of the leaderboard by overnight leader Bothma, playing his second event on the Challenge Tour after taking a break earlier in the season to get married. A second round of 69, in which he birdied all five par fives but also dropped two shots, helped maintain his position at the head of the field.
Former England International Denny Lucas is a further stroke back after a round of 68 with the Finnish pair of Thomas Sundstrom and Mikko Korhonen also in the top five at five under par and four under respectively. Swede Magnus A Carlsson posted a two under par 70 to join Korhonen on four under par.
