The diminutive star confirmed his status as the Tour’s standout performer with a four-under-par 68 at the season-ending event at Dirab Golf & Country Club, near Riyadh, finishing seventh on 16-under.

Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren won the tournament with a 67 to reach 23-under, one clear of Australian Jack Thompson.

Higa ended the season on top of the Merit list with 2,082.34 points, finishing 199.84 points ahead of Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent in second. Vincent shot a 68 to tie for 15th, having needed a dramatic swing of results this week to overhaul Higa.

Vincent took consolation from winning The International Series Rankings three weeks ago, earning a pathway back to the LIV Golf League.

Higa also became the first player to win both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and the Japan Tour Money List, which he claimed in 2022 during a four-win season. The 30-year-old succeeds American John Catlin, who tied for 15th today and finished 43rd on the list.

“I am so, so happy. This is a great honour,” said Higa, who is remarkably on a run of 18 consecutive tournaments.

“I just love playing golf. That’s what it's about. I can’t wait to get home to see my family.”

In addition to the prestige of joining an elite group of Merit winners dating back to 2004, the title brings an exemption into The Open via the International Federation list. A place in the PGA Championship is also available through this pathway, subject to the Official World Golf Ranking position.

“I have worked very hard for this. I felt that last year changed things, all the hard work started to pay off, and it’s amazing to see it all pay off this week,” he added.

Higa began the season strongly with three straight top-10 finishes: T8 at the Smart Infinity Philippine Open, T5 at the International Series India presented by DLF and T2 at the 104th New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.

However, it was not until September that the scale of his dominance became clear. He claimed back-to-back victories at the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea and the Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei, before adding a T2 at the International Series Philippines in late October. That result saw him reclaim top spot on the Merit list from Vincent, a lead he would not relinquish.

Higa’s triumph was very much by design. After winning the Japan Tour Money List three years ago, he set his sights on overseas success and committed to a full Asian Tour season for the first time the following year.

He also underwent a significant physical transformation, committing to rigorous weight training and aerobic programs to increase his distance. Earlier this year, he described his approach as practising “like I brush my teeth every day”.

Higa chose not to sign a driver contract so he could use equipment that best suited his game and worked extensively on shaping shots to gain extra yards. The results were clear: his average driving distance rose from 284.41 yards to 297.91 yards.

Standing just 158 centimetres tall, he is now punching well above his weight. He is also known as an exceptional frontrunner, with most of his 13 victories coming from the front.

Two of those wins came on the Asian Development Tour – the BTI Open in Bangladesh in 2018 and the UMC Championship in Malaysia the following year – early signs of what was to come on the main tour.