'Japan's Prize Money King' Higa: Why He Drew Attention Despite Missing the Cut

Record for Shortest Player Ever in Masters at 158cm
Shinhan Donghae Open Champion Says "I Will Keep Challenging"

Higa Kazuki (Japan) attracted attention at the 87th Masters Tournament (total prize money $18 million).

On the 8th (local time), Higa shot 2 over par in the second round of the tournament held at Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,545 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA, and missed the cut with a total score of 6 over par 150. He was 3 strokes short of the cut line at 3 over par. However, standing at 158 cm, Higa became the shortest player in Masters history since its establishment in 1934, making his name known on the field. The previous shortest player was 1991 champion Ian Woosnam (Wales, 164 cm).

Kazuki Higa is teeing off at the 8th hole during the second round of the Masters. [Augusta (USA) = AFP·Yonhap News]

Higa recorded an average driving distance of 281.9 yards at this year’s Masters, ranking 62nd out of 88 players. Although he is not considered a long hitter, he relied on precise shot skills to aim for the cut until the late stages of the second round. Higa energized himself by making a birdie on the 15th hole (par 5), but ended with bogeys on holes 16 through 18, confirming his elimination. Higa said, "It rained heavily, so the speed of the practice greens in the morning was different from the actual course greens, which made it difficult," and added, "I will continue to challenge myself in the future."

Higa is an alumnus of Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan, the same university as 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama Hideki. This university also produced ‘Daemashin’ Sasaki Kazuhiro, who played in Major League Baseball, and Suzuki Akiko, the bronze medalist at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships. Higa said, "I am disappointed to have missed the cut, but I gained valuable experience by playing in the Masters," and "I learned a lot practicing with Hideki."

Born in 1995, Higa is currently ranked 82nd in the world. He is well known to domestic fans after winning the Shinhan Donghae Open held in Japan last year. In the last season alone, he won an impressive 4 times on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) and became the leading money winner (181.59 million yen). Higa was invited to this tournament by Augusta National. This is his second major tournament appearance following last year’s Open Championship. He has yet to make the cut in a major tournament.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.