Garrick Higgo was penalized two strokes for arriving late to his tee time at the PGA Championship. This mistake resulted in his par turning into a double bogey on his scorecard.
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PGA Championship golfer hit with tough penalty over 60-second mistake
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Garrick Higgo will have to brush up on the PGA Championship rulebook after an embarrassing start to his tournament.
Higgo, a South African making his first PGA Championship appearance since 2022, was penalized two strokes for being late for his first-round tee time on Thursday, May 14 at Aronimink Golf Course. Higgo's group was scheduled to play the first hole at 7:18 a.m. ET. He carded a par that became a double bogey 6 on his scorecard once the PGA of America announced the penalty.
"Really inexplicable," said ESPN golf commentator David Duval after the broadcast showed Higgo walking to the first tee box at 7:19 a.m.
Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.
Feb. 1: Justin Rose holds the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course.
Garrick Higgo received a two-stroke penalty for being late to his first-round tee time.
Higgo's group was scheduled to tee off at 7:18 a.m. ET.
The penalty turned his par into a double bogey 6 on his scorecard.
Garrick Higgo made his first PGA Championship appearance since 2022.
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Jan. 25: Scottie Scheffler holds up the trophy after winning The American Express tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California.
Jan. 18: Chris Gotterup holds the championship trophy after winning the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.
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Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.
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Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.
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Feb. 1: Justin Rose holds the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course.
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Jan. 25: Scottie Scheffler holds up the trophy after winning The American Express tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California.
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Jan. 18: Chris Gotterup holds the championship trophy after winning the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.
LIVE UPDATES: PGA Championship leaderboard, scores, Thursday tee times
Higgo was reportedly on the putting green, according to Golfweek, but was not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time and was penalized under Rule 5.3a. It defines the starting point as "the rope, gallery stakes, green bike fencing and/or blue stakes, blue dots or blue lines."
The penalty for violating the rule is disqualification unless a player arrives no more than five minutes late. Higgo was able to begin his first round at the PGA Championship due to that exception.
Higgo has managed the error well, with two birdies on the front nine. He currently sits at +1 through 11 holes.
The 27-year-old lefthander is a two-time PGA Tour winner after capturing the Corales Puntacana Championship in April 2025 and entered this week ranked No. 85 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Running late at PGA Championship costs Garrick Higgo on scorecard