Topless campaigners make plea for PGA Tour star 

Only at the WM Phoenix Open could this happen. 

TPC Scottsdale is surely the only place in the world of golf where a campaign for a player’s entry into a tournament – on the basis that he went shirtless last time – could lead to a picket on the streets.

But two fans, or campaigners if you will, were so desperate to see Harry Higgs return to Arizona for this year’s showpiece, they decided to go that extra mile.

First of all though, some much needed context.

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Higgs, a fan favourite out on the PGA Tour, is made for the chaos that is the Phoenix Open, and more specifically, the 16th hole.

The 32-year-old ‘peoples golfer’ from New Jersey has already made his own mark on the iconic stadium hole, which has an atmosphere akin to the wildest of American frat parties.

Shirtless @HarryHiggs1991.

That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/rozVsGD6EO

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 13, 2022

In 2022, when he last played in the event, the equally-loved Joel Dahmen was paired with Higgs for the final round, with the duo both way out of contention down the leaderboard.

“If we get enough retweets, @harryhiggs1991 will take his shirt off on 16 tomorrow!” Dahmen tweeted on the Saturday.

You would have been foolish to think Dahmen and Higgs wouldn’t stick to their word. It wasn’t a hole-in-one or an audacious birdie that prompted the mayhem either.

Higgs rolled in a par putt from ten feet to get up-and-down, before pulling his shirt up, sparking wild cheers of his name and pints being thrown by the dozen onto the green. Dahmen joined in too, flinging his shirt off and whipping in the air to add to the carnage.

Those are the sort of scenes we’ve now become accustomed to at this unique tournament, and now fans want more.

Higgs, down to 412th in the world rankings after a poor couple of seasons out on tour, is currently not in the field for the event next month.

So, with a little help and support from Higgs’ sponsors DUDE Wipes, a couple of fans have decided to take matters into their own hands.

The two superfans held up signs at an arranged picket, lobbying for Higgs to be handed a sponsors’ invite into the tournament.

Presumably topless in an ode to Higgs’ antics two years ago, the duo were aiming to make their feelings known to the committee responsible for those receiving exemptions.

After an hour on the roadside confusing plenty of bypassers, tournament bosses reached out to Higgs’ agent to let them know they’d been heard loud and clear.

Reacting to the picket, Higgs wrote on X: “I’ll promise to keep my shirt on this time.”

And if there’s one thing the invite committee should know by now, it’s that Higgs sticks to his promises.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.