AUGUSTA, Ga. — Harry Higgs, one of the most colorful personalities on the PGA Tour, wanted to clear a few things up after he posted a 1-under 71 in his first career Masters round Thursday.
When asked about being “from’’ Camden, N.J., which is where his PGA Tour bio states as his birthplace, Higgs sounded like someone who was ready to have his bio edited.
“Harry, there’s not many professional golfers that have Camden, New Jersey as their …
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was just born there, that’s where the hospital was,’’ Higgs interrupted. “I filled out my bio eight years ago, 2014. ‘Birthplace, hometown, resides in.’ The hospital was in Camden. We lived just across the river just outside of Philadelphia.
“Hometown, we spend more time in Kansas City, so I put Overland Park, Kansas, and then I live in Dallas. I figured, I live in Dallas, they would have said Dallas, Texas, right? Sure enough, the darn thing says Camden, New Jersey. I get that every now and again. Some guys are just so wildly disappointed if I take a second to like, ‘No, man, it was just where the hospital was.’ ’’
Asked if Jersey people “claim’’ him as theirs, Higgs, who’s known for his fun social media presence and for is golf shirts unbuttoned to show his chest hair, said, “I got tons of friends and family in Jersey and the Philadelphia area, so, yes, absolutely. I miss Wawa. I miss the hoagies and cheesesteaks. You can’t get great pizza in Dallas, or really Kansas City for that matter.
“No, they can claim me all they want, but Camden was strictly the hospital. Strictly the hospital.’’
Tom Watson, winner of two Masters and having played in 43 of them, made his debut as one of the honorary starters, joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on Thursday morning to hit the ceremonial first tee shots to commence the tournament.
Watson said when he got the call from Masters chairman Fred Ridley inviting him to join the group, he said, “I was very humbled about it, and I didn’t feel I was in the same category as these two.
“People had asked me, ‘When are you going to be the honorary starter at Augusta?’ for the last several years, and I said, ‘Well, I don’t belong there.’ Chairman Ridley called me [and said], ‘Tom, we really would appreciate it if you would accept our invitation to be an honorary starter with Jack and Gary.’ And I told him, ‘I feel very humbled. I don’t deserve to be there.’ He said, ‘No, we’d really like you to do this.’
“Then he followed up very quickly and he said, ‘Tom, you can do it for as long as you’d like. That meant a great deal to me. The good Lord willing the creek don’t rise.’’
Cameron Young, from Westchester and Sleepy Hollow Country Club, had a rough start to his first Masters, shooting a 5-over 77 thanks to a double bogey on No. 18. …
Stewart Hagestad, who in 2017 became the first Mid-Amateur champion to make a Masters cut, went from shooting even-par on the front nine Thursday to finishing with a 7-over 79, thanks in part to a triple bogey on No. 11. …
Bryson DeChambeau also had a difficult back nine, shooting even-par on the front and finishing with a 4-over 76. Justin Thomas, who played practice rounds all week with Tiger Woods and admitted to his shortcomings in major championships, also shot 76.