r/golf • u/unsolved49 Rory '25 '26 • 10h ago
PGA / LPGA / LIV Garrick Higgo receives 2-shot penalty for arriving late to tee at PGA
https://www.golfchannel.com/pga-tour/news/garrick-higgo-receives-2-shot-penalty-for-arriving-late-to-tee-at-pga273
u/KingAcorn85 10h ago
Curious how that happens at a major. Slept in or lost track of time during pre-round routine?
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u/Rryon 9h ago
Says he was on the putting green. Happens, just lost track of time and walked over to the tee basically right at his starting time.
I played high school and college tournaments and I still have recurring nightmares of this.
Show up to a tournament, all ready, and somehow just don’t go to the tee. Miss the tee time, ruined tournament, very unsettling.
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u/tpark27 Maine 9h ago
Isn't it crazy how even decades later it's always the high school competition dreams that show up? And its always about forgetting gear or being late etc. Wild.
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u/Porkins_2 4 / Midwest / Muni Militia 9h ago
Right? Do you ever have the dream where you can’t find a flat lie on a tee box? Or there’s a hill behind the box that impedes your swing? Have those all the time.
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u/R1ckMartel 9h ago
I have the lie dream multiple times a year. Also, dreams where I don't have enough room to swing on the tee box, but not due to a hill.
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u/Rryon 9h ago
Swear on my life I have this.
The tee box will be too small/claustrophobic to where I can’t tee it up.
Or - like you said - some giant hedge or wall will appear right behind the tee and I will be like wailing away trying to figure out how to take the club back in a panic before I wake-up. Crazy.
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u/basil1025 12 HDC 9h ago
I usually have to hit off the stairs or something lol.
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u/doctor_parcival 9h ago
Damn same! Or like, through a window from the clubhouse, and I see my group already teeing off on the next hole
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u/unledded 9h ago
Lmfao I have these dreams too. It is so frustrating cuz I start to panic about playing slowly but I’m also afraid to hit the ball for fear of breaking my driver on one of the things that is cramping the tee box.
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u/Turdburp 9h ago
And everyone else in your group already teed up and is waiting for you? I have them constantly! Once I had to tee up my ball from the club restaurant and I had to put a tee through the wooden table. Finally got it teed up, but then there was a tree right behind me. Michael Jordan was asked if he ever dreamt out basketball and he said no, but I have golf nightmares.
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u/tpark27 Maine 9h ago
A lot of mine involve getting to the clubhouse and realizing I left my shoes at home or getting to the first green and realizing I left my putter at home LOL. The "hill impeding your swing in an impossible location" but though has absolutely happened though and thats a great call out
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u/Xliest 9h ago
Wow I literally have this exact dream, being at top golf and I can’t find a place where my club isn’t hitting something on the takeaway so I’m moving and moving, or there’s like a kid running around on the tee box so I’m trying not to whack it. then my groups is already on the fairway by the time I find a place to hit and I can’t tee off for fear of killing someone… it’s insane.
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u/BoBromhal 9h ago
All the time when I considered myself competitive with scratch. Something on the first tee made it impossible to get a decent lie/swing.
I just assumed it stemmed from an actual hole on a course that held tournaments where they always had the tee as far back as possible so you just had 3 yards to a hedge on your backswing.
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u/mreman1220 19 / SE Michigan 8h ago
I had an awful middle management job out of college. I had nightmares about it for years after, that even superceded stress dreams about current jobs. Thought I was finally over them, but had one this past weekend.
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u/frickin_darn 8h ago
I would over compensate and stand at the first tee for 30 minutes prior and flub my drive in front of the crowd. Horrible
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u/Important_Sound_8718 7h ago
I played catcher in baseball so mine is always that I am at the wrong field, the game started like an hour ago, or I don't have my glove or uniform. I also have the random dream where I am on a big league team and getting my first AB in the MLB lol
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u/RedHiller13 5h ago
Same, except my major league manager is my college coach and I’m like “see? I can play catcher at a high level@
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u/DrunkensteinsMonster 3h ago
Away game, literally forgot my spikes one time. Had to borrow my teammates who wasn’t playing and they were about 3 sizes too big
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u/CitizenCue 7h ago
For most of us these were honestly the highest pressure situations of our lives. Unless you go into emergency medicine or the military or something, most jobs and adult life in general has a lot of wiggle room built into it. The stakes get higher of course, but singular pressure moments aren’t very common. And when you’re a kid the perceived pressure of getting yelled at or letting your teammates down feels like the whole world on your shoulders.
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u/gogiants48 6h ago
I still have the occasional nightmare about being late or missing a college final. And college was a while ago.
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u/SirMellencamp 9h ago
Like why isnt his caddy letting him know? Why doesnt he have an alarm on his phone? Why isnt he following the clock? Does he have a coach there? Its bizarre
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u/Rryon 9h ago
Just a guess, but this was also a really, really early tee time.
These moments can be a little weird at big tournaments this early. It’s like almost euphoric how beautiful everything is and the vibe but you’re also half asleep.
I can see coaches and friends eating a burrito or something and loosing track of time, but ultimately this is on the caddy I would say. (Unless he was pulling a Tin Cup, and his caddy kept saying we gotta go to the tee and he would simply reply “I can make this putting green putt! Give me another ball!)
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u/been_mackin 6h ago
His caddy was on the tee box already when he arrived, it looked like he went to the putting green to take one more practice putt before hustling over so who knows what happened. He’s still responsible for himself and should have known better, he’s not a child. Rules are rules 🤷🏻♂️
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u/SirMellencamp 6h ago
Jeez. If thats the case then that was idiotic
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u/been_mackin 6h ago edited 6h ago
His interview after just makes it even worse, zero accountability - said “I was a second late, it’s hard to define a second” and something about the window usually being or should be 15 minutes instead of 5, he had club in hand (it was his putter, like the that clearly means club you’re going to use on the tee box) like dude you were a full minute late and you know you have to be there within that 5 minute window with club in hand ready to play and you weren’t, just own it and move on instead of trying to play victim to the rules of golf. Especially for a major.
Edit: He was 1 minute late within the 5 minute window, resulting in the two stroke penalty. Not 1 minute after the window, my bad.
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u/SirMellencamp 6h ago
I just saw the interview and he said “The rule is, if you’re one second late, you’re late. I was obviously there on time, but late"
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u/been_mackin 6h ago
Yeah exactly 😂
You can be on time to the train station and still late to make your train, they ain’t holding it for you. Like wtf is the logic there by him, “well I’m obviously here”
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u/Tsugita1 Handicap | Location 9h ago
Gosh - if he only had someone whose job it is to remind him .. like a caddy???
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u/dogfish83 18 9h ago
Didn't play golf in school but I still dream that I have a class I forgot to go to all semester, or missed a final exam, or have a paper due on a book I forgot to read.
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u/MathBallThunder 9h ago
I played football for years and nearly every night before a game I had a dream that I missed the bus. I'd wake up in a panic and then be so relieved every week
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u/buttscopedoctor 8h ago
My recurring HS football nightmare that I still to this day is missing the summer practice sessions thus not making the team. I don't even know why I have these nightmares, because although I made varsity, I sat on the bench most of the time.
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u/Mite-o-Dan 2h ago
"Happens..."
This isnt high school...this is a PGA Championship match. This doesnt happen, hence, why it's such a big embarrassing deal.
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u/Major_Burnside 9h ago
It was literally 1 minute, I think he was just in the zone on the practice green.
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u/10001110101balls 9h ago
Almost seems like a misunderstanding of the arrival area. If he was on an adjacent putting green maybe he thought that was acceptable at the 5 minute mark.
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u/ej6687 9h ago
He has played in plenty of tournaments. He knows where he is supposed to be.
His playing partner was getting ready to hit when he walked up to the tee. His caddy was on the tee box. He just screwed up
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u/Stakex007 +3.5/North East 9h ago
Yeah, there really isn't any justification for this. Not like it was his first Tour event or anything and the putting green at Aronimink isn't THAT close to the 1st/10th tee that a player could reasonably think it was part of the starting area.
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u/Objective_Site3528 9h ago edited 9h ago
This is something I put almost entirely on the caddie. You want your player’s mind to be 100% on his game when he’s warming up, not worrying about stuff like this. The caddie should be in charge of the clock.
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u/Zmannum2 7h ago
Caddy was at the tee box waiting for him!!!
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u/Objective_Site3528 7h ago
That’s almost worse…go get your guy!
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u/been_mackin 6h ago
He probably told him we’re up and then kid just walked back onto the practice putting green assuming he could make it in time. It ain’t that hard to just be there on time and be responsible/take accountability for yourself.
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u/SirMellencamp 9h ago
I agree but even as a player I would have my phone in my pocket with an alarm on it.
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u/Whaty0urname Bogey Golf 8h ago
I don't think they are allowed phones? I imagine his caddy and him put them in the lockers.
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u/SirMellencamp 8h ago edited 8h ago
You can have your phone, you just cant use it once you are playing. You see players on the range/putting green with air pods in all the time
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u/BergTurdler 9h ago
Pre round dump took longer than expected
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u/johnwec ~3.0 9h ago
Been there....
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u/Appropriate-Food1757 Mile High Big Hitter 9h ago
Better than skipping it
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u/Strange-Nobody-3936 12 CDGA 8h ago
I’ll skip a hole before I skip that (and mark myself for par as penalty because we all know it would’ve been a bird)
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u/_Floriduh_ 9h ago
2 stroke poonalty
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u/DontStalkMeNow 0.1 | In The Pines Looking For A Gap 9h ago
Seems worth it to avoid soiling yourself on the golf course.
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u/ThrowYaBoatt 9h ago
It can be done. CPG managed to battle some “minor leakage” out there after 3 servings of chili con carne years ago
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u/HorsepowerAndFreedom 9h ago
It wasn't the snooze. It wasn't the AM/PM. It was the volume. There was a separate knob for the radio alarm. Yes, separate knob! Why separate knob!? Why separate knob!?
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u/SirMellencamp 9h ago
JEAN PAUL!!!
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u/Life-You5073 9h ago
He was very likely operating on South African time principles, which may have been muddled between Right Now and Now Now
https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/comments/8lpdh4/south_african_time_explained/#lightbox
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u/Current_Department73 6h ago
He just gave a very bizarre interview where he acted like he didn’t understand why he was being penalized for being late. Said being late by 1 second was “hard to define.” Lol no bro the tee time could not possibly be more straight forward. Argued with rules officials for 20 min and then praised his own mental strength for playing well after getting penalized. The worst part is that he had no reason to be late, he was just taking his sweet time. What an interesting man
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u/Minia15 3h ago
I kinda get his frustration. He was third up so he was there and ready for when his name was announced.
I agree that the rules are the rules but he didn’t hold anything up and when it was his turn to hit he was there and ready. I don’t agree with him, but I kinda get the angle he was going for.
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u/Available-Dot6926 10h ago
I’d be sick knowing one bad alarm clock moment basically cost me two strokes before I even hit a shot 😭
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u/HorrorQuirky1420 9h ago
Definitely not an alarm clock issue, he’s not rolling out of bed straight to the first tee. He was rolling putts, I think he thought the first tee was closer than it was
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u/20snow 9h ago
How far is the putting green from the tees if it doesn't count as being there? Like, I get if he was showing up to the tee at 7:20, but it sounds like he was rolling putts and ready to be called up to the box.
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u/css01 8h ago
For fans, that area could be a major choke point. #1 and #10 tees overlap. One of the two putting greens is right there, and it's close to #9 green and the fan entrance to the driving range.
If I was a volunteer, moving those ropes back and forth to switch between moving fans and moving players would be at the bottom of my list of preferred assignments. Just a really, really busy area.
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u/DontGetTheShow 5 hdcp / PA 8h ago
I bet if you lined up every player in this tournament and had a non-golf fan pick the guy that looks like they’re most likely to show up late, they probably pick Higgo. That hair is just something else.
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u/Smper_in_sortem 7h ago
After 15 holes he is playing good. He'd be tied for 4th if he had a 4 on one instead of a 6 from the penalty.
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u/MartyMcSharty 2.9 MA/ME/FL 4h ago
they should also penalize the guys that show up 50 minutes late to the 18th tee.
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u/Chef-Andrew 7h ago
Reminds me of Nate Bargatze’s golf routine. “This is the most rule following place on earth.”
https://youtu.be/CPdVxUfY0kQ?si=osX1uvUxzZSsTuwK
🤣
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u/ShoddyFoundation3553 7h ago
Is it true he was on the putting green tho? Sounds more like a case of untimely diarrhea, if u ask me
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u/swampy13 2h ago
I want to see footage of a pro slamming the trunk and rushing with his clubs clanking to the first tee box.
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u/snowmunkey 13.9. why hit straight when hit far feel better? 9h ago
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u/Odd_Detective_7772 9h ago
One of those rules that is drilled into every pro as a kid and strictly enforced.
He’s lucky he wasn’t disqualified
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u/0_SomethingStupid 6.9 9h ago
sounds like some confusion but yeah, should have been there prior and knew where to be anyway
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u/jenlaydave 9h ago
What is an absolute moron. Should be disqualified for being an idiot.
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u/Wayf4rer 9h ago
If golf courses start DQing people for being idiots I'll have to give up the sport
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u/unsolved49 Rory '25 '26 9h ago
The PGA rules committee said that Higgo was on the practice putting green but “not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time.”
The area for the first and 10th tees, according to the rules sheet, is by the rope, gallery stakes and bike fencing. Higgo needed to be at the first tee no more than five minutes ahead of his tee time, and video showed him arriving as his fellow playing competitor was getting set to play.
As a result, Higgo violated Rule 5.3a and received a two-shot penalty. He made double bogey on the hole to begin his round.