A RE-RANKING after the British Open will improve the European Tour status of David Higgins by up to 25 positions following his share of third place in the BMW International last weekend. In effect, it will get Higgins into several tournaments which should help him to secure his player's card for next season.
Things were looking bleak for the Waterville player when he went to Munich in 191st position in the Order of Merit and with earnings of only £4,021 from nine events. Now, with £31,136 for 90th place, he is within about £15,000 of securing his card an eminently attainable target given him.
"Though I was playing well in Munich and confident about my have to be pleased with Higgins, referring to a rain restricted tournament of 36 holes. "Money in the bank is very important to me at this stage."
Indeed the money would have been £9,000 greater had the organisers not decided to reduce the prize fund by 25 per cent. "I'm very surprised at this decision, given that full money was paid out in similar circumstances ink the Catalan Open earlier in the year, said Higgins manager, Andrew Chandler, yesterday.
Francis Howley, who was tied 12th in Munich, will also move significantly up the ranking list. Like Higgins, he is staying on the continent to compete in this week's French Open at the National GC in Paris.
"The Irish challengers are Ronan Rafferty, Philip Walton, David Feherty, Christy O'Connor Jnr, Paul McGinley, Raymond Burns, Higgins and Howley. Padraig Harrington, who shared third place with Higgins in Munich, has returned home to "do some quiet practise".
Meanwhile, John Cook, record breaking winner of the St Jude Classic on Sunday, is virtually certain to miss the British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes next month. The indications are that Cook, who had the title in his grasp before losing to Nick Faldo in 1992, will opt instead for a family outing to the Atlanta Olympics.
Should he by pass Lytham, where he would have to qualify, the American would be in good company. As a significant surprise, Tony Jacklin, who bridged an 18 year gap by capturing the British Open at the Lancashire venue in 1969, is definitely not, returning to the scene of his triumph. "There's nothing I'd like better than to go back there, but it's a luxury I can't afford," said Jacklin.
His priority these days is retain his player's card on the lucrative US Seniors' Tour. And he is currently in the danger zone in 48th position, having failed to earn a top 10 place in any of the 17 events he has entered.
Meanwhile, Cook, having signalled a return to some useful form by sharing 16th place in the US Open at Oakland Hills, produced spectacular scoring in Memphis to win by a crushing seven strokes from John Adams. But he still failed to match the record aggregate of 27 under par for a USPGA Tour event, established on rubber tee mats by Mike Souchak at Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, in the 1955 Texas Open.
After rounds of 64, 62, 63 and 69 for a 26 under par total of 258, Cook said "I have tickets for the Olympics and I have promised the kids an outing there. It clashes with the British Open which means I have to make a decision." Then he added "There'll be other British Opens, but the Olympics is a once in a lifetime deal."
As it happens, the 38 year old has made only five appearances in the British Open. He missed the cut on his debut in 1980 didn't play again until 1992 when he was runner up to Faldo missed the cut in 1993 was tied 55th in 1994 and tied 40th last year. It will be recalled that at Muirfield four years ago, he three putted the long 17th and then bogeyed the last to lose out to a resurgent Faldo.
Still, that was a vintage year for Cook who won three times on the US Tour the Bob Hope Classic, Hawaiian Open and the Las Vegas Invitational. And a month after his Muirfield collapse, he was tied second with Jim Gallagher Jnr, Faldo and Gene Sauers behind Nick Price in the USPGA Championship.
Last Sunday, he had chances of equalling the record at each of the last three holes, most notably at the 16th where he pulled a five foot birdie putt left of the target.
But his failure served to emphasise the quality of Souchak's, effort, particularly with the golf equipment of 40 years ago. Indeed Ben Hogan had previously set a 27 under par aggregate of 261 when capturing the Portland International in 1945.
But Cook succeeded in smashing another record. With a score of 189 for the opening 54 holes, he was two strokes inside the previous record of 191 set by Johnny Palmer at Brackenridge Park in the 1954 Texas Open (that tournament again) and equalled by Gay Brewer when winning the 1967 Pensacola Open.
Meanwhile, his first two rounds of 64 and 62 were the same as "scored by Tommy Bolt in the 1954 Virgina Beach Open and by Paul Azinger in the 1989 Texas Open at Oak Hills, San Antonio. There must be something special in that San Antonio air!
With second and third rounds of 63, 62, Cook also equalled the record of 125 for consecutive rounds established by Brewer at Pensacola in 1967 and later equalled by Ron Streck at Oak Hills (1978 Texas Open) and by Blaine McCallister at Oakwood (1988 Hardee's Classic).
