Garrick Higgo Takes Two-Stroke Penalty at Pga Championship Leaderboard

Garrick Higgo fell two strokes behind the pga championship leaderboard after arriving seconds late for his Thursday tee time at Aronimink. He still posted a one-under par 69, but the penalty turned what could have been a share of the early clubhouse lead into a chase.

Higgo at Aronimink

Higgo reached the tee from an adjacent practice putting green for his 7:18am start. Officials told him he was late and assessed the penalty, which turned his par at the first hole into a double bogey.

He did not let the round unravel. After the opening hole, he made four birdies and one bogey to finish on 69.

Scoring Tent Dispute

After the round, Higgo argued his case in the scoring tent and said the penalty changed the shape of the day. “The rule is if you’re one second late, you’re late.”

He also said, “I would have loved to be three-under but I’m one-under.” Without the penalty, he said he would have shared the early clubhouse lead on 67.

Higgo Keeps Fighting

The South African said the setback was manageable once he got moving. “I’m super proud,” he said, adding, “I think it shows a lot of mental strength the way I kept fighting.”

He made a 33-foot birdie putt at the third hole and later rolled in a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three 14th. Higgo said, “My caddie was yelling at me to get to the tee,” and later added that this was the first time the late-arrival issue had happened to him.

That left him in contention despite the penalty, but the two strokes kept him from starting the PGA Championship with the score he believed he had earned. For a player who said he is “very casual and laid back,” the difference was already on the board before the round had settled.