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'My caddie was yelling at me' - late Higgo denied US PGA lead
TL;DR
Garrick Higgo was penalized two shots for arriving late to the tee at the US PGA Championship, impacting his chance for the lead. He finished the round with a score of one-under 69, missing a tie for the top spot.
Key points
- Garrick Higgo received a two-shot penalty for being late to the tee
- He finished with a score of one-under 69
- Higgo would have been tied for the lead without the penalty
- He carded four birdies in his round
- The incident occurred during the US PGA Championship
Garrick HiggoUS PGA ChampionshipAldrich Potgieter
Garrick Higgo is making his fourth appearance at the US PGA Championship [Reuters]
South Africa's Garrick Higgo was denied a share of the early clubhouse lead at the US PGA Championship after receiving a rare two-shot penalty at the start of his first round - for arriving a minute late to the tee.
Higgo, 27, carded a double-bogey six on the opening hole as a result, but recovered with four birdies in a solid round of one-under 69 at Aronimink.
When Higgo finished his round at about 12:45 local time, he would have been tied at the top of the leaderboard with fellow South African Aldrich Potgieter had he not been punished for his tardiness.
Tournament officials said Higgo was "not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time".
"I always cut it fine and this morning was pretty cold," Higgo, who was still on the practice putting green, told Sky Sports.
"I never want to get to the tee 10 minutes before and get cold when I have to hit a driver.
"Usually I hit five putts before I go to the tee and went there thinking I had five minutes - but I obviously did not.
"I hit one putt I thought I heard my name, my caddie was yelling at me and I ran down."
If Higgo had been five minutes late, he would have been disqualified from the second men's major of the season.
Higgo was due to tee off at 07:18 alongside American pair Shaun Micheel and Michael Brennan at the Pennsylvania course.
Higgo arrived seconds after one of his playing partners had already hit his drive and was informed of the penalty by a rules official.
Asked if he contested the decision, Higgo said: "I didn't say anything - I knew I had to get myself ready. I couldn't argue with him and then hit it out of bounds.
"I said I'll sort it out later."
At the end of his round, Higgo was seen discussing his case in the clubhouse with the PGA of America - but the penalty was not overturned.
What do the rules say?
The bizarre incident came as a result of Higgo breaking the PGA of America's local rules and terms of the competition.
Higgo was punished under Rule 5.3a which states:
Q&A
Why did Garrick Higgo receive a two-shot penalty at the US PGA Championship?
Garrick Higgo received a two-shot penalty for arriving one minute late to the tee.
What was Garrick Higgo's final score at the US PGA Championship?
Garrick Higgo finished his round with a score of one-under 69.
Who would Garrick Higgo have been tied with if not for the penalty?
He would have been tied at the top of the leaderboard with fellow South African Aldrich Potgieter.
How did Garrick Higgo perform after the penalty at the US PGA Championship?
After the penalty, Higgo recovered well, carding four birdies during his round.