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Mark Schlabach
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — South Africa’s Garrick Higgo was penalized two strokes for being late to his Thursday morning tee time in the first round of the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Higgo, who is ranked 85th in the world, was scheduled to tee off on the No. 1 hole at 7:18 a.m. ET. He was one minute late to his tee time, according to video on the ESPN broadcast.
He is playing with 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel and Michael Brennan.
The PGA of America said in a news release that Higgo was practicing on the putting green but was not within the area defined as the starting point of his starting time.
The PGA of America’s Local Rules and Terms of Competition define the starting point of a round on the Nos. 1 and 10 holes by the “rope, gallery stakes, green bike fencing and/or blue stakes, blue dots or blue lines.”
Higgo, 27, was allowed to remain in the tournament because of an exception to Rule 5.3a, which allows a golfer to arrive at the starting point ready to play no more than five minutes late.
He made par on the par-4 first hole but carded a double-bogey 6 because of the two-shot penalty.
The two-time PGA Tour winner was able to recover with birdies on the par-4 third hole and par-5 ninth. He made the turn at even-par 35.
Penalizing golfers for being late to their tee times in major championships is rare. David Lipsky was penalized two strokes for being late to his second-round tee time in the 2019 PGA Championship held at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. Lipsky carded a 4-over 74 and made the cut on the number.