South African golfer Garrick Higgo expressed frustration after being penalised two strokes for arriving late to his first-round tee time at the PGA Championship on Thursday. The incident occurred at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where Higgo was scheduled to tee off at 7.18am alongside Michael Brennan and Shaun Micheel.
Controversial Penalty
Higgo insisted he was punctual, stating, "Like, I was there at 7:18, 30 seconds, you know what I mean?" However, golf's strict regulations were enforced, resulting in a two-stroke penalty that turned the par-four opening hole into a double bogey. Despite the setback, Higgo rallied to finish with a one-under-par 69, keeping him within striking distance of the leaders.
Higgo contested the decision with PGA officials, saying, "I was just trying to get evidence. I feel like any of you would have done the same. It's kind of — I was there on time, but the rule is, if you're one second late, you're late. So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean."
Playing Partners Support
The South African noted that his playing partners were not disrupted by the delay. "They actually argued my case for me. Again, I wasn't that late," he said. "When I got there — I was supposed to tee off last in any case, and Shaun — (they) hadn't announced Shaun yet. Obviously he was dealing with finding me, so he probably would have announced Shaun on time. I asked them if I bothered them for being late, and I said, I apologize for that. But they said it was fine. I obviously don't want to bother anybody, so, yeah."
Ranked 85th in the world, Higgo is a two-time PGA Tour winner. This marks his fourth PGA Championship appearance, as he seeks his first top-40 finish in a major.
Other Struggles at Aronimink
Higgo was not alone in facing difficulties on the opening day. Rory McIlroy bogeyed the first hole and struggled to find form, leaving him with work to do to make the cut on Friday. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau, who missed the cut at Augusta National last month, also faces an early exit after a disappointing first round.
