Their experience of big tournament pressure could not be more different, but when the final round of the Maybank Malaysian Open gets underway there will be nothing to choose between Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina and Marcus Higley of England after the pair tied for the 54 hole lead.
Higley, a graduate of last season’s Challenge Tour, is playing in only is 12th European Tour event at Saujana Golf & County Club and on Sunday he will go head-to-head with a three-time winner and a man celebrating his 200th Tour appearance.
The disparity is not lost on Higley, who admits to a few nerves, but the level-headed 32 year old spoke of trying to emulate former Challenge Tour Number One Marc Warren after holing from 35 foot at the 18th to jump into a tie with Gonzalez on seven under par 209.
The duo lead by two from three proven winners on the Asian Tour, Edward Loar of the United States, Prom Meesawat of Thailand and Angelo Que of the Philippines.
A stroke further back on four under par 212 is The European Tour’s own Asian specialist, Simon Dyson of England, a four-time winner in the region, 1996 Moroccan Open champion Peter Hedblom of Sweden, David Bransdon of Australia and Thailand-based Scot Simon Yates.
“Being in this position is definitely a result of my confidence snowballing after a successful season on the Challenge Tour last year,” said Higley after adding a two under par 70 to his earlier rounds of 72 and 67.
“I was speaking to my caddie the other night and I was saying that so much of it is attitude and confidence. There were a few guys I knew from the Challenge Tour who went on to get their cards (last year), like Marc Warren. Marc was doing okay before he won, but as soon as he won in Scandinavia the change in his game was phenomenal. It has to be attitude and confidence.
“It’s a totally different atmosphere out here to the Challenge Tour and you do feel a bit awkward to begin with. But hopefully if you keep playing well people will respect you for that, and that’s all you can ask for.”
He has certainly commanded attention with his play during three tough days on the Palm Course at Saujana, where soaring temperatures and humidity have required players to take on board a bottle of water per hole.
“The key is staying patient. The rough is thick out there and obviously the heat can get to you, so you have to accept what happens to you and just take the rough with the smooth. That’s what I think I have done quite well.
“Obviously I am now in new territory and I’m sure I’ll be nervous, like I was today. But I’m just going to keep doing the same things I have been doing the last few days and hopefully I will get the same results,” added Higley, who ended a 15 year wait for his first professional victory when he captured the Thomas Björn Open on the 2006 Challenge Tour.
By contrast, Gonzalez has won twice in Spain and once in Switzerland on The European Tour, in addition to his two Challenge Tour titles and three appearances in the World Cup. It is an impressive CV which the Argentine is keen to embellish further.
“I need to win a tournament. This is my focus for this year,” commented Gonzalez after mixing four birdies and one bogey for a round of three under par 69. “This week would be perfect and I’ve got a good chance. My experience should help if I am right in contention near the end of my round.”
However, history is not on the side of either of the two leaders as the tournament, which is jointly sanctioned by The European Tour and the Asian Tour, has been won by Asian players in six of the eight years it has featured on The European Tour International Schedule. That should give hope to Que and Meesawat, although the top 30 on the leaderboard has a distinctly European flavour.
One man who will miss what promises to be a fascinating final day is Michael Campbell of New Zealand, who was forced to withdraw following the third round with an injured shoulder.
