Bezuidenhout and Higgo Survive PGA Cut While Others Fall Short

South Africa’s presence at the PGA Championship took a heavy hit this past week, with just two of the six players making it past the cut. The tournament, held at the challenging Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina, was unforgiving for much of the local contingent.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Garrick Higgo were the only South Africans to reach the weekend rounds. Thriston Lawrence, Daniel van Tonder, Dean Burmester, and Erik van Rooyen all failed to qualify for the final two days of play, cutting short their Major campaigns.

Picture: Modest Golf

Bezuidenhout managed to close out the week in a tie for 50th place. His steady but unspectacular rounds of 70, 68, 77, and 73 saw him finish on four-over-par. He still earned a respectable $40,674, which converts to around R734,000.

Picture: Warren Little

Higgo’s tournament started off strong, with back-to-back 69s and a solid 71 leaving him well-positioned going into the final round. However, a disastrous 80 on Sunday saw him drop 42 spots down the leaderboard, eventually finishing tied for 55th at five-over-par. His prize money came to $32,138 — approximately R580,000.

Despite the local struggles, it was a week to remember for American Scottie Scheffler, who walked away with the trophy after an 11-under-par finish. His third Major title, Scheffler outplayed a group of contenders who tied for second — including Bryson DeChambeau — by a five-shot margin.

Scheffler’s dominant form continued after also winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson the previous week. His victory at Quail Hollow earned him a massive $3.42 million (over R61 million), further establishing him as the man to beat in 2025.

Higgo, who recently celebrated a win at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, had hoped to carry that momentum into the season’s second Major. That victory netted him $720,000 (R13 million), showing how costly a poor final round can be at the highest level.

The focus now shifts to the US Open, the third Major of the year, which tees off from 12 to 15 June at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.

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Sourced:The Citizen

Picture: Modest Golf & Warren Little