Garrick Higgo penalized 2 strokes for missing opening tee time at PGA Championship

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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Garrick Higgo found out Thursday in the PGA Championship if you're not early, you're late.

Higgo arrived on the first tee box at what he estimated to be 30 seconds after his listed tee time and was assessed a two-stroke penalty. His first swing of the championship turned out to be his third because of the penalty.

The South African still managed a 1-under 69, even though he could only wonder how easily that could have been a 67, the low score of the morning wave.

“I was there on time,” Higgo said. “But the rule is if you’re one second late, you’re late.”

Due to tee off at Aronimink Golf Club at 7:18 a.m., he was told as he arrived he had been penalized. The rules state a golfer must be on the tee box and ready to play at the assigned time, regardless of the order. He was third to play.

Higgo said it's the first time he's been penalized for being late to the tee box. The good news? If he had been five minutes late, he would have been disqualified.

“It wasn’t a surprise,” he said. “I was late. I mean, my caddie was yelling at me to get to the tee.”

The 27-year-old kept his composure and went on to “par” the opening hole, but his 4 became a 6.

“Obviously, it wasn’t great,” he said of being penalized. “I knew that I firstly had to get a driver, and I have to hit a tee shot. It was OK. I just kind of focused on what I need to do. ... I wasn’t going to give up and shoot 80. There was only one thing that I could do, and that was make birdies and pars and hit it where I wanted to hit it.”

Higgo said the whole episode made him focus on making birdies in the first round. He did just that, finishing with four birdies and a bogey for a 69.

He attempted to argue his case to officials after the round, to no avail. He even had the support of his playing partners. He said he believed he was within the time limit, yet conceded he might have been a bit tardy and grudgingly accepted his fate.

He attributed it to his casual approach to being late, though he's not the type who arrives 10 minutes early. He said he could have added time for his walk from the range to the putting green and ultimately the first tee.

“I was obviously too casual,” he said.

Higgo managed to erase the two-stroke penalty on the front nine. He rolled in a birdie putt from about 35 feet on the par-4 third hole and made a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 ninth to get back to even par.

After a bogey at the 10th, Higgo made birdie on the two par-3 holes on the back nine, with a 27-foot putt at the 14th and hitting to just over 5 feet and making the putt at the 17th.

“I played great, made a lot of good swings, made some good putts,” said Higgo, who has two PGA Tour victories and six international wins. “Did everything that I could do.”

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