Garrick Higgo was hit with a two-shot penalty after arriving one minute late to his PGA Championship tee time, opening with a double bogey.
Garrick Higgo’s PGA Championship got off to a brutal start Thursday before he even hit a shot.
The South African golfer was assessed a two-stroke penalty after arriving late to his opening-round tee time at the PGA Championship, according to the PGA of America.
Higgo was scheduled to begin his first round at 7:18 a.m. alongside Michael Brennan and Shaun Micheel, but he didn’t reach the official starting area in time.
ESPN’s broadcast reported that Higgo arrived at the tee at 7:19 a.m. He had been on the putting green, but under the Rules of Golf, that wasn’t enough.
The issue was that Higgo was not “within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time.”
That mistake immediately changed his scorecard. Instead of starting clean, Higgo was handed a two-shot penalty and recorded a double bogey on the first hole.
To his credit, Higgo didn’t completely unravel. The two-time PGA TOUR winner answered with a birdie at the third hole and moved back to 1-over through eight holes.
Still, giving away two shots in a major championship is a massive setback, especially for a player trying to break through on one of golf’s biggest stages.
Higgo is making his fourth career start at the PGA Championship. He’s still looking for his first top-40 finish in a major, making Thursday’s early penalty even more costly.
Rule 5.3 in the Rules of Golf covers starting times. If a player is no more than five minutes late, the penalty is two strokes in stroke play. If a player arrives more than five minutes late, disqualification can follow.
Higgo avoided the harshest punishment, but his PGA Championship began with the kind of unforced error no player wants attached to a major week.
Join Our Roundtable Community For Free! Share your takes, connect with our Roundtable writers, and talk sports with fellow fans. Download the free Roundtable App today and stay closer to the conversation.