By most accounts, Ben Higgins and Chris Lane should have an incredibly awkward relationship.
After all, Higgins, 35, got engaged to Lauren Bushnell Lane on The Bachelor in 2016 before announcing their breakup the following year. In 2018, Bushnell Lane, 34, started dating country singer Lane, 40, and the couple got married in October 2019, less than a year after they met.
However, in exclusive interviews with Us Weekly, Higgins and Lane both gushed about their blossoming friendship — which all started years ago when the duo were both scheduled to play alongside some of the LPGA’s finest golfers in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
“We had never met or spoken,” Higgins told Us. “Obviously we knew of each other. I hear he’s playing in it. I see it pop up on Instagram and I’m like, ‘Oh, this could get awkward.’ It could get weird.’ And then I get to the clubhouse and his locker is right next to mine. I’m like, ‘Oh, now this could get really weird.’”
Once their paths inevitably crossed, Higgins said he and Lane “introduced ourselves to each other” and could immediately tell things weren’t going to be weird at all.
“I think it was the bond over golf, the bond over being at this event, the bond over both of us being like, ‘This is crazy that we’re going to play with the LPGA,’” Higgins recalled. “It kind of just kept rolling from there. Chris has been awesome. He’s one of my favorite people to see at this event.”
To make things even more potentially uncomfortable, Lane uses Lauren’s dad, Dave, as his caddie when he plays at golf tournaments. However, Higgins called the pairing “such a cool thing for me to see.”
“Life for both of us has moved on so far,” said Higgins, who married his wife, Jessica Clarke, in 2021. “We have our own families. It would feel weird to hold any resentment, especially to a guy who is so nice. It could have been awkward, but we bridged that gap as quick as we could, which I think was smart.”
Lane, who shares Dutton, 3, and Baker, 2, with Bushnell, echoed every single one of Higgins’ sentiments.
“He is an incredibly nice guy,” Lane told Us. “We’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time together. Everybody stays in the same hotel, everybody hangs out at night. It’s been really great.”
Higgins and Lane are both competing in this year’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions from Thursday, January 30 to Sunday, February 2 at Orlando’s Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.
This year’s event comes as Higgins and Clarke are expecting their first baby in the coming weeks — and Lane is coming ready with some parenting advice.
“I would just say, ‘Buckle up, buddy,’” Lane joked. “I think some parents get lucky. Some parents get lucky and their kids turn out to be great sleepers. But if they’re not, it’s a very challenging period there until you get them on a good schedule. I would just say get as much sleep as you can right now and get prepared.”
Ultimately, Lane expressed excitement about chatting with Higgins about impending fatherhood, saying, “It really is the best.”
