Why KC’s Harry Higgs, playing in 1st Masters, made this week at Augusta a family affair
.jpg "Team Higgs will be out in force at Augusta National this week, as Harry Higgs, left, has brough along younger brother Alex, right, as his caddie for his first Masters.")
When a golfer and his caddie get the chance be part of the rich history of The Masters at Augusta National, it’s a special milestone.
Most golfers spend a lifetime dreaming of the opportunity to compete here. The precious few who actually make it to The Masters typically do so only through next-level skill and unflinching commitment to their craft.
This is their week, their moment.
For Alex Higgs, younger brother and caddie for first-time Masters participant and Blue Valley North grad Harry Higgs, this week at Augusta presents a unique opportunity of its own He’ll don the classic white jumpsuit alongside his sibling, helping him size up shots and handing him clubs.
And he can hardly wait.
“I struggle to find words to describe it,” Alex Higgs said.
Plenty of kids pretend they’re lining up a putt to win the green jacket given to each year’s winner at The Masters. In the Higgs’ case, it could actually happen in real-life.
Harry, 30, qualified with a Top 5 finish at last year’s PGA Championship in Kiawah, South Carolina, his first major. His odds of winning at Augusta National this weekend, per Vegas Insider, make him a bit of a longshot at +55000.
But he’s here, and his brother is, too. That in itself is a dream come true.
“We used to have a putting contest for all four majors,” Alex, who golfed through college at SMU, said. “The only one anyone ever cared about was the first one, The Masters. If you won the first one, then you tell the guys to do whatever they want. So in some ways, this Masters week was always the goal. And in some ways, it’s crazy to realize that we’re getting closer to it as we’re doing it.
“Now I’m like, ‘Holy (bleep), my brother’s about to play in the Masters. How are we going to do that?’”
As kids, the Higgs brothers would begin their daily putting contests after getting home from school at 2:30 p.m. They’d “throw our backpacks wherever,” Alex recalled, and “then head to the course.
“Then we would spend hours at the golf course and just putt. We would get there and ask each other, ‘OK, are you guys ready for the majors?’ We wouldn’t even hit balls — we would just putt in our putting contest.”
Harry was in fourth grade, Alex in first, when they started. That was the ritual for the Higgs brothers and a handful of their close friends, all about 10 at the time, at the Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate in Overland Park.
Some of the old friends with whom the Higgs siblings played in those make-believe majors are here this week, too. Among them are Harry’s girlfriend, Kailee Kuehn, and her older brother, Korbin, who regularly swapped bragging rights with Harry and Alex.
One of Harry’s best friends from Blue Valley North, Devin McCarthy, is even sharing a rental house with the brothers near the course.
“Man it’s pretty special,” Harry said.
In December, during their first visit to Augusta National, Alex indulged his love of Masters merchandise. He didn’t leave a club in the bag in pursuit of souvenir swag.
“Every time I went to the pro shop at Augusta,” he said, laughing as he remembered how much he spent, “my total had a comma. I’m three-for-three with commas.”
Not that leaving the pro shop light in the wallet bothered him all that much.
“No regrets,” he said, still chuckling. “I have regrets on stuff that I didn’t get. I got tons of hats to pass out to friends. I got T-shirts, short- and long-sleeve shirts, a coupled quarter-zips. ... Harry got a leather duffel bag to put all of his stuff in.”
Harry said he expects they’ll make a few more trips to the shop during their stay this week. He feels fortunate to have the opportunity to play in this Masters with some of those closest to him sharing the experience.
“When you have great friends and family around you, it’s fun to see where this game will take you,” he said. “The putting contest (back in the day) was just an excuse for us to spend more time at the golf course.
“And now they’ve found a way to spend time on Augusta National. That’s Team Higgs for you.”
Follow golf journalist Garrett Johnston on Twitter @JohnstonGarrett.
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.