Higgs' Eagle on 2nd Playoff Hole Beats Capan in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Winning on the Korn Ferry Tour is really hard. Really hard. Just ask Frankie Capan.

A month ago, the 24-year-old former Minnesota State Amateur champion (2020) put together a 72-hole total of 24-under 260 at the Veritex Bank Championship -- and finished fourth, seven shots behind the winner, Tim Widing!

Capan had another chance to win over the weekend. He shot an 8-under 62 at Holston Hills CC on Saturday and took a one-stroke lead into the final round, and on Sunday, he finished birdie-birdie, but still couldn't win. As it turned out, Capan could have finished birdie-birdie-birdie, and it still wouldn't have worked against the Lazarus-like Harry Higgs, who emerged from the depths of the Korn Ferry Tour money list a week ago to win the Advent Health Championship, thanks to a hole-out eagle wedge shot from 83 yards on the 72nd hole of regulation that got him into a playoff, which he won with a birdie on the first extra hole.

That was Higgs' first victory in five years -- and his first top-10 finish in any tournament in over a year!

Having come back from the dead, Higgs proceeded to win again on Sunday at the Visit Knoxville Open. And he did it with another eagle, this time on the second extra hole of a playoff, against Capan.

Higgs, 32, is a veteran of both the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry. He started the final round at Holston Hills tied for second, but he birdied five of the first six holes and proceeded to shoot 65, which put him at 261 for 72 holes. Capan was 3 under after nine holes, but he parred the next eight, and came to the 528-yard, par-5 18th at Holston Hills needing to make a birdie just to get into a playoff, which he did, and posted a closing 66. That put him at 261. Capan then returned to the 18th for the first hole of the playoff, birdied it again. So did Higgs.

But then Higgs, who had not birdied the 18th hole in regulation on Sunday, made a 37-foot putt for eagle at No. 18 on the second playoff hole. Capan was inside of Higgs, but he burned the edge of the cup with his eagle try, and Higgs had his second Korn Ferry victory in as many weeks. It's the first time in the history of the Korn Ferry Tour that anyone has won in back-to-back weeks.

The victory was worth $180,000 to Higgs, and the $391,500 that he's made this year ranks second to Widing on the Korn Ferry money list. Of course, the most important stat is the points list, and Higgs is second to Widing on that one, too, with 1,101 points.

When the 2024 Korn Ferry season is concluded, the top 30 on the points list will graduate to the PGA Tour for 2025.

For Capan, the good news is that even though he didn't win, he's now No. 3 on both the money list ($209,564 in 11 tournaments), and the points list, with 865. Basically, both Higgs and Capan are pretty much assured of being on the PGA Tour next year.


Visit Knoxville Open

At Holston Hills Country Club

Par 70, 7218 yards

Knoxville, Tenn.

Final results

1. Harry Higgs $180,000 64-65-67-65--261 (-19, won playoff with eagle on 2nd extra hole)

2. Frankie Capan $90,000 66-67-62-66--261

T3. Max McGreevy $44,375 64-65-67-66--262

T3. Rhein Gibson $44,375 66-66-64-66--262

T3. Quade Cummins $44,375 68-64-69-61--262

T3. Cody Blick $44,375 67-65-65-65--262

7. Sam Bennett $32,000 65-66-65-67--263

T8. Tim Widing $27,500 68-67-64-65--264

T8. Cristobal Del Solar $27,500 64-65-71-64--264

T8. Joe Weiler $27,500 70-65-64-65--264

T54. Van Holmgren $3,820 69-67-68-73--277