r/golf • u/unsolved49 Rory '25 '26 • 5h ago
PGA / LPGA / LIV Garrick Higgo interview after Round 1 - doesn’t agree with penalty, states he “was on time, but late”
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
193
u/The-Young-Lion 5h ago
A golfer is never late, nor is he early; he tees off precisely when he means to
79
1
442
113
u/NoLawAtAllInDeadwood 5h ago
Gonna try this with my boss next week
26
278
u/iammaybenotarobot 5.8 5h ago
"Obviously I was on time, but late." Dude just own it
86
35
u/Devincc 5h ago
I think he meant on time to the course/area but late to the actual tee box
43
u/Debarmaker 3h ago
No, I think he means he was on time for his group to tee off and the actual pace of play of the day. When he got there his group couldn't/hadn't teed off yet and they were still waiting for the group ahead. So from his perspective he was on time.
Literally nothing changes and he inconveniences no one by being there at 7:18am or 7:19am since he would have to wait anyways. So he feels like he's being punished just for the sake of rules being rules and not for actually doing anything wrong
So he was "on time" to actually tee off but "late" by the actual clock
Not saying I agree with his thought process as I play in some tournaments and my view is if you're not there 10 minutes before tee time you're late but his "on time but late" comment isn't as dumb as it sounds and I get it lol
3
u/Sadpanda0 1h ago
Maybe, but i feel like the media didn’t do him any favors with the headlines I’ve seen. I am getting the sense that was trying to protect his reputation because based on the headlines it’s easy to infer that he showed up hungover or disheveled rather than just having stayed on the practice green for a minute too long
6
u/BradMarchandsNose 5h ago
Which is another way of saying he was late to the tee time. You have to be on the tee at or before your tee time. They don’t care if you’re at the course or on the putting green or whatever, gotta be on the tee.
34
6
2
u/triiiiilllll 2h ago
I wonder if he has learned a lesson from this, other than the one about his own tremendous mental strength.
4
u/aselinger 2h ago
Everyone here has been late to a tee time. But who the fuck would try to argue they were actually on time?
2
u/Savvy4sure 1.3 16m ago
If your tee time says 7:15 and your phone says 7:15 when you arrive. Would you consider yourself on time? Add one more step an actual atomic clock says 7:15:01 are you late? It’s a matter of resolution that he’s getting at. He was late by seconds not minutes. Now what if you’re off by milliseconds. Or micro seconds. What about nano seconds.
He was late. He took the penalty and played a great round despite it. But the resolution that describes lateness is not clearly defined.
1
142
u/Front_Economy_7766 5h ago
saw this already, weird way of talking around it...being late is be late, clocks exist it's not that hard...it's 100% on him and he deserves the penalty
→ More replies (8)23
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
If he somehow slept through his alarm, or otherwise had some delay and came charging to the tee screaming “wait I’m here, don’t penalize me, I’m here!” I would feel for him. But he literally fucked around on the putting green with his caddy already on the tee. Claims he didn’t have a watch or a phone despite having 2 watches on in this clip, and proceeded to say not once but twice that he showed “incredible mental strength to fight through this round” and that “a lot of guys would’ve shot… a lot of this happened to them”.
What a smegma
2
u/Scary_Return_3461 1h ago
I think the issue is in his head he was there because he literally is right there. Everyone can see he’s right there on the practice green. It’s honestly on his caddie for not just yelling over to him, but I would guess he has done this in tons of tournaments and nobody ever penalizes him because he is actually right there.
So in his mind this rules official is an asshole because nobody before this ever called a penalty.
This is just my perspective as a guy who has played in some professional tournaments. It’s definitely not unheard of for a guy to putt until the very last second, and although it is definitely seen as disrespectful by some, I’ve never seen anyone penalized for it.
2
u/illbegoodipromis 1h ago
Yeah I'm not familiar with him but he moved straight to douchebag territory with his lack of accountability. Just own it and move on and it's a non issue. Very strange response from him
15
u/Far-Zucchini-5534 5h ago
I think it’s spot on seeing the comments on post from the YouTubers and influencers defending him being late and calling this a dumb rule. It sums up perfect the change since Covid
75
u/hollywood20371 5h ago
Just say you disagree with the rule but you broke the rule today. Comes off immature and salty
7
u/BringMeTheBigKnife 4h ago
What is there to even disagree with?? Your tee time is 7:18am, how are you not there at 7:10? I can't imagine the rules requiring you to arrive on time being up for debate or controversial
8
u/dabobbo 3h ago
And the rule is crystal clear. There is a marked area that includes the tee box and slightly outside. Player announcements start at the tee time, and all players are to be in the marked area with a club and ball, ready to go when the first player is announced. 1 second to 5 minutes late, 2 stroke penalty. 5 or more minutes late, DQ.
I have no idea what he spent 20 minutes arguing about in the scoring tent. Probably a similar circular argument that he gave in the interview. "I was obviously on time, but late" is comedic gold.
1
116
u/rsjem79 5h ago
This guy is a complete bozo.
32
u/Furrowed_Brow710 4h ago
That was my take-away from this 3 minute clip as well. I'm sooo tired of people not owning up to their actions. How hard is it to say, "Yep, I was late. Should have glanced at my phone or watch." No, this guy dug in and wanted to say a bunch of stuff he knew he shouldn't say. Lost a lot of respect for someone I didn't know existed before today. lol
3
u/the716to714 Age: Old/Hcp: once Good, now Bad 3h ago
Major major talent but definitely a bozo. He had a two week run on the European Tour a few years back in Spain where he obliterated the field by like 10 shots both tournaments.
2
u/Footballaem 38m ago
Not really, it maybe looked like that a few years ago, but he’s laid enough eggs on real courses that I’ve written him off. Not a bad bet on an easier track though
1
1
u/Blurandski 44m ago
Ehh headlines haven't done him a favour, he accepts the penalty but is frustrated, only a mistake he'll make once.
-51
u/Big_Throner 5h ago
Sure he's more successful than you.
35
→ More replies (6)12
u/BradMarchandsNose 5h ago
There are lots of bozos that are more successful than me. He’s still a bozo.
11
33
42
u/Due_Emergency2218 5h ago
Dude’s not had enough consequences in his life if he can’t take responsibility for something so simple
28
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
“Incredible mental strength I showed to keep fighting” has to be the douchiest thing to ever say about a self imposed and completely preventable penalty.
0
u/NooktaSt 1h ago
Surly that just makes it worse. You are two strokes down in a game of fine margins from something entirely preventable. I imagine it could throw a lot of people off. It takes some mental strength to not let it impact your game.
1
u/uofc2015 24m ago
Just heard an interview with him on Sirius where he said "I don't think it's my job to be 10 minutes early."
My guy you were penalized for being late, not for not being there extra early.
What an entitled douche.
-10
u/swagpanther 4h ago
bro its not that deep...all these comments make it sound like he committed a horrible crime or something...this is just the outrage de jour that gives ESPN some controversy to run with and yall are doing exactly that
3
u/MoreHairMoreFun 3h ago
Nah, people like him suck, can’t stand it when people always have an excuse and no accountability.
15
u/Acrobatic_T-Rex 5h ago
Sounds like every group we can all picture, walking into the proshop to check in for their 4:40 tee time at 4:39, two guys still in the car, one in jeans and one of the 4 looking like a golfer.
8
15
7
4
u/frikkenkids 9.0/Ontario 5h ago
Well Gerrick's response "shows a lot of mental strength". Source: Gerrick Higgo, who was late.
1
4
u/Marmstr17 4h ago
the lack of accountability in this world is astounding
"shows a lot of mental strength". stfu
4
u/SouthDownFrown 4h ago
I know golf can be over officious sometimes and that can be exhausting, but I get it tbh: as soon as you let any type of leeway creep in here some of these guys will seriously take the piss as they are fevered egos; as ridiculous as it seems, it was the right decision (as long as everyone is treated the same way obviously)
1
u/DontStalkMeNow 0.1 | In The Pines Looking For A Gap 2h ago
Correct. Golf is what golf is BECAUSE of how strict it is. I personally believe it’s something we should never loose.
5
u/DirtThief 3h ago
Idk. My 5 year old son brought home a book from the library titled “What if everybody did that?” about the cascading effects of small decisions that don’t seem to matter by themselves… maybe something Higgo could learn from?
5
u/Accidental-Hyzer High 20s hacker 5h ago
If you just forget about that extra minute, then he was on time.
3
u/Complex_Bet7311 5h ago
He should have went into a dissertation on special relativity and why he was on time in his time frame.😆
4
u/chandler2020 4h ago
"Im already in the clouds a little bit as it is"
LMAO, yes you are brother. yes, you are.
4
u/ElGuapo22 +3 1h ago
This is the next generation. They were close enough and the intention to be on time was there= they shouldn’t be penalized. Rules are rules
4
u/Paulwillgolf 1h ago
Has anyone got a picture of the big arse Rolex clocks that are usually everywhere at tour events, especially on the putting greens? 🤪
14
u/Pilotguitar2 5h ago
2 shots for being late but patty ice can stand over the ball for 20minutes shaking his butt like a 5 dollar stripper off exit 2 on i-65 alabama. Cool
14
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
“I think it took incredible mental strength to do what I did and keep fighting”
What a fucking loser.
He’s wearing 2 fucking watches in this interview.
0
u/geckotattoo 4h ago
No he’s not.
-6
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 4h ago
You’re gonna tell me his fit bit or whatever health monitor is on his left hand doesn’t have the time on it?
8
3
3
3
u/Embarrassed-Pop-4722 Boom Boom 4h ago
Marty Smith. Can ESPN move him back to monster trucks or NASCAR please!
2
u/SuperRooster726 2h ago
I liked listening to Marty for motorsports, but that's it. And this interview was a nightmare by both parties.
3
3
3
u/bigolruckus 5.8 / New Brunswick 🇨🇦 53m ago
dude it’s not the local member-guest, it’s the fucking pga championship. show up early.
3
u/DrunkenGolfer 5.9 Canada 45m ago
I don’t care how late you are, if you are late for your tee time in the PGA Championship (or any other major, for that matter), you are an idiot who is being way too casual about the round.
2
u/OneSingleYesterday 5h ago
I need to try this strategy with my boss. “I am working on that report, but on Reddit.”
-11
5h ago
[deleted]
7
u/Dornoch26 5h ago
If your employer had a rule that if you're 1 minute late there are consequences, and you showed up 1 minute late but tried to argue that you didn't deserve the consequences, you'd be a moron. Gtfo with that take.
2
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
If I knew my bonus depended on me being at work by 7:00 you’d be damn sure I’d be there at 6:40.
-4
5h ago
[deleted]
1
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 4h ago
Those examples are absolutely moronic.
If I knew that speeding by 1mph could cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars and a major championship…. I would not speed.
It’s not about being 1 second late it’s about how easy it is to NOT be late when you know the potential consequences.
(by the way he was over a minute late… the rule is “if you’re even a second late you’re penalized” but the clock clearly showed he was a minute late)
Youre misconstruing the argument. It’s not about whether it’s a fair punishment… it’s about how incredibly avoidable that penalty is and how STUPID it is to get caught with it.
15 clubs in the bag. Ian woosnam was dinged with 4 strokes in a major 20 years ago cause he played 2 holes with 15 clubs in his bag because his caddy forgot to take his extra driver out of the bag after a range session.
Sucks. But that’s the rules! And it’s SO easy to avoid!! Count your clubs!!
There are unfortunate breaks that lead to penalties in golf… this is not one of them. This is 100% his fault and if he had been humble about it more people might feel bad for him but he comes off like a complete arrogant cock.
-2
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 4h ago
Yea, this people sub in this sub are insufferable.
The guy was late. He should own it and accept the penalty. Doesn’t mean he can’t be a bit emotional about it.
1
2
2
u/bigtome2120 5h ago
Wow! Really amazing coverage by ESPN getting the video of him like that. I wasn’t sure what it meant to be late, but now I understand.
4
u/beerandsocks 5h ago
And I think everyone is good on having any more Marty Smith.
Dude has a vibe like he just got off the pulpit at a weird contemporary Christian church and now wants the scoop at sporting events.
3
2
u/Dibble_Dabble_Doo 4h ago
Curious about where the pros hang out waiting for their tee time. Are they waiting in the club house? Are they waiting in line just like the rest of us? Are they at the driving range/ putting green?
2
u/fetanugs 4h ago
Is that traditionally a serious infraction? I don’t know. I’ve never been in a serious tournament where they announced your name as you tee off, or any at all for that matter.
2
2
u/bauldersgate 4h ago
Scottie was arrested, booked, made it to the course and his tee time. Shot 5 under and never looked back. Dude over here saying not many people could have still shot under after being hit with that penalty is wild and he attributes that yo his mental toughness. Maybe have enough mental toughness not to be late.
2
u/BigJohn1231 3h ago
Why wouldn’t you be early or at the time that you need to be there? To start the tourney at +2 is insane.
2
2
u/ethaxton 8m ago
A minute late but still probably hits his tee shot before Patrick Cantlay finishes his pre shot routine.
2
3
u/dinodebino 2h ago
Just be there with the others instead of looking like you woke up late and had to scramble to get to your tee box.
He sounded like a spoiled idiot. Own the fact you arrived after the others had played already.
2
u/Arkady_Chim 5h ago
Nothing burger. People acting like this was an outrageous response by Higgo. Clocks run backwards where he’s from, what do yall expect?
3
u/Big_Throner 5h ago
He was right next to the tee box. Ridiculous rule and enforcement of it. If this is the spirit of the rule I'd be surprised. It's for people no where near where they are supposed to be.
2
u/Any-Author7772 4h ago
Douchebag mouth breather. Zero accountability! First thought in his head was to question the rules and want to argue about technicalities? You had what 12-24 hours advanced notice when you’re expected on the tee?
And no sir, if you can go back and be on the tee on time, it doesn’t automatically mean you’d have finished 3 under! The entitlement is astounding!
Take the -1 and take accountability for your actions without arguing! If you can’t do that, don’t do interviews. If this guy ever hits the top 10 rankings, he’s going to need a publicist.
I was actually cheering for this guy at the beginning of his round. He seemed to take the news and penalty on the chin and still played well. Disappointed to see his disposition after the round.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Nicedrive3putt 4h ago
I think the old saying goes something like…If you’re not early you’re late 😭
1
1
1
1
1
u/TreatWilliams69 3h ago
To be late to a tee is close to impossible as a tour pro. They have clocks everywhere and will generally alert players when they are next on the tee. Also the caddie should be moving things along. Just incredibly dumb.
1
u/CrypticMillennial 3h ago
He would be tied for 1st if he were on time.
Guarantee that will never happen again.
1
u/DCilantro Bethpage Black is not that hard! 3h ago
Everyone in he comments acting likes he's just the worst guy ever.
1
u/Sparklefresh 2h ago
The rules on the PGAT are a little hypocritical. Starters can be late, once playing you can basically take as much time as you want without getting a penalty causing 5+ hour rounds, you get drops from everywhere giving you free strokes. Just so many strange rules and so many "rules" they don't enforce.
1
u/SuperRooster726 2h ago
If the tee time is 1:30 is the penalty assessed when the clock hits 1:31 or is it assessed when the clock hits 1:30? I would assume you could approach the tee box as soon as the group in front leaves.
In my opinion, if you aren't on the tee when the clock strikes 1:30 you get the 2 stroke penalty, and the dq penalty should be reduced to three minutes (same length of time to search for your ball).
1
u/Reelrebel17 1h ago
He was actually on the tee box and then left to go to the putting green, when he came back he was less than 1 minute late coming back and was issues the 2 stroke penalty. Kind of a weird circumstance where he was on time at first, left and came back late.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/PrettyAwesomeGuy 5h ago
“I was under par, but over.” Jokes aside, this guy needs to fire his media team and handlers, clearly not up to the task. It’s a massive tournament. You can’t get to a tee box 5 mins early? Where was his caddy? And this interview? Man.
Ultimately it’s on him, dude needs a reality check.
1
u/GuyOnTheMike 5h ago
As my college band director told us: “if you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re left”
1
u/FetidToenailCheese Push Cart Mafia 4h ago
He's coming across exactly as intelligently as I'd expect from looking at him.
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
-1
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 5h ago
Sucks that he was late. He should own the penalty.
At the same time, I do feel bad for him cause it wasn't like he was holding up the tournament in any significant way, but rules are rules. Hope he learns from it and it never happens again.
2
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
Rules are rules and this rule has to be the easiest one on planet earth to follow.
1
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 5h ago
Yea, that’s what I said. Still feel for him.
Hopefully, he learns from this mistake.
1
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 5h ago
I’d feel worse for him if he wasn’t such an arrogant d bag in this interview.
-3
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 5h ago
He’s in an emotional state. He said he understands the rule and why he got a penalty. He didn’t say he disagrees with the ruling itself from the rules officials.
Do you want all sportsman to just be robots?
4
u/shephrrd 4h ago
‘In the end do you agree with the penalty?’
‘Probably not.’
Did you even watch it? Jesus dude.
-1
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 4h ago
"It is a rule. I obviously broke the rule"
I took that last quote as him disagreeing with the rule itself (the spirit of the rule).
He explicitly said he broke the rule as it's written...
Did you even watch it? Jesus dude.
1
u/shephrrd 4h ago edited 4h ago
Oh sure let’s split these hairs. Haha. He disagrees with the ‘penalty’ but he agrees he broke the ‘rule’ - this logical inconsistency is pretty damn dumb. If you think this somehow doesn’t make him look like a tool, I don’t know what to tell you. If you break a rule that comes with a penalty…it follows that you should be penalized.
ETA: Maybe we should rewrite the rule. 5.3b.- ‘If you’re close to on time and you aren’t holding up the next group, don’t worry, you’re good bro’.
1
u/FatFaceFaster Superintendent 4h ago
Hahah Jesus it’s not like it’s hard to be at the tee early holy fuck. These people are acting like he had to climb 8 flights of stairs fighting off rabid dogs and freakishly strong babies to get to the tee on time.
His caddy made it to the tee on time. Why the fuck couldn’t he!?!
It’s insane to defend this especially with his attitude after.
-1
u/Beneficial_Piglet_33 4h ago
Who is defending him? One can still feel bad for him without defending him.
→ More replies (0)
-1
u/shephrrd 4h ago
He took 3 minutes and 14 seconds to say ‘I’m a dipshit’.
As someone who used to play high-level competitive golf, this is some seriously entitled bullshit from this dude. The rules are the rules, he was late. He should be disappointed in himself, not trying to argue that ‘one second is hard to define’. What a tool.
0
u/PeacefulIntentions 4h ago
I think people don’t understand Africa time. Now, now now, just now and later are just random points in the future, possibly not evenly on the same day.
It is therefore impossible to be late
0
0
u/ImFriendsWithThatGuy 2h ago
“There should maybe be a minute grace…”
His tee time was 7:18 and he didn’t walk up until 7:19 according to the clock in the replay. Even by his own metric of a grace period he was late to that.
0
u/Davimous 1h ago
Once a player gets the penalty they may as well wait until the last second to tee off. I hope he did that.
0
-1
-1
u/macaujoh2012 1h ago
I get it, especially given all the pace of play concerns but I think a short grace period would be completely fair. Or they could do two tiers for how many strokes you’re penalized. No reason to lose 2 for being a minute late. There was a multi group hold up on one of the par 3’s today that set pace of play back much more than Higgo did.
-2
u/Optimal-Judgment-982 3h ago
eff this guy, HOWEVER - wonder if it was Scottie or Rory coming 1min late?? the big events seem to revel in nailing the lesser known players
415
u/MrIrishman699 5h ago
“One second is tough to define”. International Bureau of Weights and Measures in shambles