Higa secures prestigious title with seventh-place finish at Saudi Open as Bjorn Hellgren claims tournament victory
Kazuki Higa became the first Japanese player to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit after securing the prestigious title at the Saudi Open presented by PIF. The 30-year-old closed the season-ending event at Dirab Golf & Country Club with a four-under-par 68 to finish seventh on 16-under, while Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren won the tournament with a 67, one shot ahead of Australian Jack Thompson.
Higa ended the year with 2,082.34 points on the Merit list, comfortably ahead of Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent, who finished 15th with a 68. Vincent, who had won The International Series Rankings three weeks ago, was unable to overtake Higa despite a strong finish. Higa also became the first player to win both the Asian Tour Merit list and the Japan Tour Money List, which he claimed in 2022.
The victory brings Higa exemptions into The Open and potentially the PGA Championship, as well as the prestige of joining an elite group of Merit champions since 2004. “I am so, so happy. This is a great honour,” he said, reflecting on an 18-tournament streak that highlighted his consistency and determination throughout the season.
Higa’s breakthrough year included three consecutive top-10 finishes at the start of the season and back-to-back wins in September at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea and the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei. A strong T2 at the International Series Philippines in October helped him regain and maintain the top spot on the Merit list.
The Japanese star credits his success to rigorous training and a disciplined approach to golf. Standing at just 158 cm, he increased his driving distance from 284.41 yards to 297.91 yards, refined his shot-shaping skills, and focused on maintaining front-running performances—a strategy that has defined most of his 13 professional victories, including two on the Asian Development Tour in 2018 and 2019.
