Garrick Higgo was penalized two strokes for arriving late to his scheduled 7:18 a.m. ET tee time at the opening round of the PGA Championship held May 14, 2026, at Aronimink Golf Club [1, 2, 3, 4].
Higgo showed up one minute late to the first tee, coming directly from the practice putting green rather than being on the designated starting point area defined in the PGA of America Local Rules [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The penalty came under Rule 5.3a, which mandates players must be ready to play at the exact tee time; being late results in a two-stroke penalty, and arriving over five minutes late leads to disqualification [2, 3, 4].
The 27-year-old two-time PGA Tour winner reflected on the strict enforcement, saying, "The rule is if you're one second late, you're late. I was obviously there on time, but late, and that's a two-shot penalty" [4]. Higgo added he was trying to stay warm before tee-off, lacking his watch or phone to precisely track time. "I usually cut it fine. It was cold this morning, I was trying to stay as warm as possible coming off from the range," he said. "I didn't have my watch on me. I didn't have my phone. I'm already in the clouds a little as it is. It just is what it is" [5].
After completing the first hole, which counted as a double-bogey six due to the penalty, Higgo rebounded to shoot a 1-under-par 69 for the round [2, 3, 4, 6]. Without the penalty, he would have been tied for the tournament lead after round one [2, 4]. He sought relief from tournament officials but the penalty was upheld following discussions after play [2, 3].
Higgo played alongside Shaun Micheel and Michael Brennan in the early morning tee group [1, 3, 6]. Enforcement of the two-stroke penalty for a late tee time is rare in major championships [3].
Reports published May 15 2026 analyzed Higgo's round and penalty, keeping attention on the tightly enforced start-time rules [4].
