Following match play victories over Pádraig Harrington in the finals of the South of Ireland and the Irish Amateur Close championships he decided to turn professional in 1994.

Higgins earned £67,000 in his rookie season on the European Tour in 1996 to finish just inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit.

[1] On his return, he failed to immediately rediscover his form and dropped down to the second tier Challenge Tour in 1999.

He again found success, finishing 12th on the rankings to earn another shot at the European Tour,[2] but he was unable to maintain that form, again losing his card at the end of 2007.

[3] Challenge Tour playoff record (1–1) Note: Higgins only played in The Open Championship.