NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Golf presents challenges. The sport becomes even more demanding when a player fails to arrive punctually.
Garrick Higgo received a two-stroke penalty due to his delayed arrival for his 7:18 a.m. tee-off at the commencement of the PGA Championship. The PGA of America reported that Higgo was situated on the practice putting green rather than inside the designated boundaries of Aronimink’s first tee at the scheduled moment. The pathway connecting the practice green and the initial tee at Aronimink is congested, yet it remains traversable, particularly with ample preparation time.
“I missed my scheduled time,” Higgo admitted following his play. “Indeed, my caddie was urging me to proceed to the teeing ground.”
Upon Higgo’s eventual arrival at the first tee, a tournament rules official informed him that he had exceeded his start time by approximately one minute and would therefore incur a two-stroke penalty.
The PGA of America clarified the basis for the infraction as follows:
Competitors are required to commence play precisely at (and not preceding) their designated tee-off moment:
● This implies that the participant must be prepared to begin play at both the exact time and the specific location established by the (event management) Committee.
● A tee-off time determined by the Committee is considered an absolute moment (for instance, 9 am denotes 9:00:00 am, rather than any period leading up to 9:01 am).
“Those familiar with me understand my relaxed and easygoing nature,” he stated. “I prefer not to arrive a full ten minutes ahead. I operate under the assumption that five minutes is sufficient. I misjudged my available time. Clearly, I adopted an overly nonchalant approach.”
The situation could have been more severe for Higgo; arriving five minutes past one’s scheduled tee time results in expulsion from the competition. Following the assessment of the penalty, Higgo completed a round of 3-under par, featuring four birdies and one bogey. However, the two-stroke deduction placed him at -1 for the day, trailing clubhouse frontrunner Aldrich Potgieter by a margin of two shots.
Subsequent to his play, Higgo requested clarification from event authorities, admitting his delay while simultaneously asserting otherwise.
“I arrived precisely when expected, yet the regulation dictates that a delay of even one second constitutes being late,” Higgo remarked. Pressed for further details, he clarified, “My presence was noted at 7:18 plus thirty seconds.”
Higgo, globally positioned as the 85th best player, has secured two victories on the PGA Tour circuit, with his most recent triumph occurring in April 2025 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He has participated in the PGA Championship on three occasions, achieving his most favorable result (a tie for 55th place) during the previous year’s event at Quail Hollow.
