Inside Garrick Higgo’s Bizarre Penalty at PGA Championship: ‘I Wasn’t That Late’

The two-time PGA Tour winner was slapped with a penalty upon reaching the first tee box Thursday morning.

Garrick Higgo shot a 1-under 69 despite being docked two shots before his round began. | James Lang-Imagn Images

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — There is no such thing as being casually late for a tee time in professional golf.

Garrick Higgo was technically “right there” when he wandered toward the first tee at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday morning for the start of the PGA Championship.

But he wasn’t, well, there.

The South African pro who has two PGA Tour victories was assessed a two-shot penalty as he walked onto the tee and was handed a scorecard. The penalty was levied because Higgo was on the tee when the clock struck 7:19 a.m.

Garrick Higgo was assessed a two-stroke penalty for arriving one minute late to his tee time. pic.twitter.com/zp9yrVTBb9

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“This is the first time it’s happened,” Higgo said after shooting a 1-under-par 69 that included the two-stroke penalty and kept him from tying for the first-round lead. “I wasn’t sure quite what. I was just happy they allowed me to tee off, firstly, you know what I mean? I was bummed when he said I had a two-shot penalty.”

Higgo said he knew he was in violation. “I was late. I mean, my caddie was yelling at me to get to the tee.”

The left-handed golfer was simply too slow in arriving. The PGA of America explained that its implementation of Rule 5.3a means a “player must be ready to play at the starting time and starting point set by the committee.”

Because he was on the putting green, Higgo was not deemed to be within the area defined as the starting point for the round which is “defined by the rope, gallery stakes, green bike fencing and/or blue stakes, blue dots or blue lines.”

Higgo was concerned that he might have distracted or delayed the others in his group, Shaun Micheel and Michael Brennan.

“They actually argued my case for me,” Higgo said. “Again, I wasn’t that late. When I got there—I was supposed to tee off last in any case, and Shaun—he hadn’t announced Shaun yet. Obviously he was dealing with finding me, so he probably would have announced Shaun on time. I asked them if I bothered them for being late, and I said, I apologize for that. But they said it was fine. I obviously don’t want to bother anybody.”

The penalty for a breach of Rule 5.3a is disqualification, with three exceptions, one of which Higgo met: ready to play no more than five minutes late.

That meant a two-shot penalty, which was assessed on the 1st hole. He birdied the 3rd and 9th holes, added a bogey at the 10th and then birdied the 14th and 17th holes to get to 1 under par for his round.

“I mean, obviously, it wasn’t great,” Higgo said. “I knew that I firstly had to get a driver, and I have to hit a tee shot. It was O.K. I just kind of focused on what I need to do. I mean, I wasn’t going to give up and shoot 80. There was only one thing that I could do, and that was make birdies and pars and hit it where I wanted to hit it.”

The penalty is rare but does happen. Mackenzie Hughes was late to his third-round tee time last year at the Scottish Open and assessed two strokes.

Dustin Johnson got a two-shot penalty for arriving late at the 2011 Northern Trust Open due to a misunderstanding with his caddie.

Former U.S. amateur champion Curtis Luck was disqualified at 2023 Korn Ferry Tour event because he didn’t arrive within five minutes of the tee time.