Kazuki Higa

{{short description|Japanese professional golfer}}

{{use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox golfer

|name = Kazuki Higa

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|fullname =

|nickname =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|4|23|df=y}}

|birth_place = Okinawa, Japan

|death_date =

|death_place =

|height = 158 cm

|weight = 70 kg

|nationality = {{JPN}}

|residence =

|spouse =

|partner =

|children =

|college = Tohoku Fukushi University

|yearpro = 2017

|tour = Japan Golf Tour

|extour = European Tour
Japan Challenge Tour
Asian Development Tour

|prowins = 10

|pgawins =

|eurowins =

|japwins = 6

|asiawins = 1

|sunwins =

|auswins =

|nwidewins =

|chalwins =

|champwins =

|seneurowins =

|otherwins = 4

|majorwins =

|masters = CUT: 2023

|usopen = DNP

|open = CUT: 2022, 2023

|pga = 76th: 2023

|wghofid =

|wghofyear =

| award1 = Japan Golf Tour
money list winner

| year1 = 2022

| award2 = Japan Golf Tour
Most Valuable Player

| year2 = 2022

|awardssection =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCompetition|Summer Universiade}}

{{MedalGold|2015 Gwangju|Men's individual}}

{{MedalGold|2015 Gwangju|Men's team}}

{{MedalSilver|2017 Taipei|Men's individual}}

{{MedalGold|2017 Taipei|Men's team}}

}}

Kazuki Higa ({{langx|ja|比嘉一貴}}, born 23 April 1995) is a Japanese professional golfer. He has won six times on the Japan Golf Tour, as well as topping the money list in 2022.

Professional career

Higa attended Tohoku Fukushi University and turned professional in late 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.jgto.org/en/player/16649/profile |title=Kazuki Higa – Profile |publisher=Japan Golf Tour Organization |access-date=27 June 2022}} Since turning professional, he has played primarily on the Japan Golf Tour. His first win was at the 2019 RIZAP KBC Augusta. He won again in 2021 at the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup.{{cite web |url=https://www.jgto.org/en/player/16649/tour |title=Kazuki Higa – Tour Career Record |publisher=Japan Golf Tour Organization |access-date=27 June 2022}}

=2022: Four wins and money list title=

Higa started off the season by winning the Kansai Open Golf Championship in April. He also won the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup in June. In September, Higa won the Shinhan Donghae Open, an event also sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour. He shot a final-round 65 to win by two shots.{{cite web |url=https://pargolf.my/japans-kazuki-higa-triumphs-at-shinhan-donghae-open/ |title=Japan’s Kazuki Higa triumphs at Shinhan Donghae Open |website=Par Golf |first=Malkeet |last=Kaur |date=12 September 2022 |access-date=1 January 2023}} He claimed his fourth victory of the season at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in November. He shot a final round 64 to win by three shots ahead of Mito Pereira.{{cite tweet |author=Nosferatu |user=VC606 |number=1594216175105298432 |title=Big congrats to the not so big Kazuki Higa |date=20 November 2022 |access-date=1 January 2023}} Higa ended the 2022 season as the Japan Golf Tour money list winner and earned status to play on the 2023 European Tour.{{cite news |url=https://www.news9live.com/sports/golf/top-3-japan-tour-order-of-merit-finishers-to-receive-dp-world-tour-membership-211994 |title=Top-3 Japan Tour Order of Merit finishers to receive DP World Tour membership |website=News Nine |date=5 December 2022 |access-date=1 January 2023}}

Amateur wins

  • 2017 Neighbors Trophy Team Championship (individual winner), Tohoku Amateur Championship, Kanto Collegiate Championship

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.wagr.com/playerprofile/kazuki-higa-8871 |title=Kazuki Higa |publisher=World Amateur Golf Ranking |access-date=27 June 2022}}

Professional wins (10)

=Japan Golf Tour wins (6)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! Legend

style="background:#D6E8FF;"

| Japan majors (1)

Other Japan Golf Tour (5)

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|1 Sep 2019

|RIZAP KBC Augusta

|−26 (66-63-67-66=262)

|5 strokes

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Rikuya Hoshino

align=center|2

|align=right|22 Aug 2021

|Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup

|−20 (68-65-67-68=268)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Kunihiro Kamii

align=center|3

|align=right|17 Apr 2022

|Kansai Open Golf Championship

|−14 (65-67-68-70=270)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Rikuya Hoshino

style="background:#D6E8FF;"

|align=center|4

|align=right|5 Jun 2022

|BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup

|−12 (69-71-65-67=272)

|1 stroke

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Tomoharu Otsuki

align=center|5

|align=right|11 Sep 2022

|Shinhan Donghae Open1

|−20 (66-63-70-65=264)

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|KOR}} Cho Min-gyu, {{flagicon|THA}} Tirawat Kaewsiribandit,
{{flagicon|CAN}} Shin Yong-gu

align=center|6

|align=right|20 Nov 2022

|Dunlop Phoenix Tournament

|−21 (69-65-65-64=263)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|CHL}} Mito Pereira

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour

=Japan Challenge Tour wins (1)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runners-up

align=center|1

|align=right|29 Jun 2018

|Minami Akita CC Michinoku Challenge

|−12 (66-64=130)*

|2 strokes

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Yoshikazu Haku, {{flagicon|JPN}} Takahiro Hataji,
{{flagicon|JPN}} Konosuke Nakazato

*Note: The 2018 Minami Akita CC Michinoku Challenge was shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

=Asian Development Tour wins (2)=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

!No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of
victory!!Runner(s)-up

align=center|1

|align=right|27 Apr 2018

|BTI Open1

|−17 (62-70-69-70=271)

|3 strokes

|{{flagicon|BGD}} Zamal Hossain

align=center|2

|align=right|16 Mar 2019

|UMW Championship2

|−22 (68-65-68-65=266)

|6 strokes

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Shintaro Kobayashi, {{flagicon|JPN}} Naoki Sekito

1Co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India

2Co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour

=Other wins (1)=

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!2022!!2023

align=left|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

align=left|PGA Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|76

align=left|U.S. Open

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|CUT

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

Amateur

  • Eisenhower Trophy (representing Japan): 2016
  • Neighbors Trophy Team Championship (representing Japan): 2013, 2015, 2017 (winners)

References

{{Reflist}}