Garrick Higgo shot a 69 on Thursday and also got himself a two-stroke penalty by roughly one minute. While Higgo obliged, he wasn't very content with the penalty.

The 27-year-old South African was handed a two-stroke penalty at the 108th PGA Championship after arriving late to his 7:18 a.m. tee time at Aronimink Golf Club. He was on the putting green but not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time, arriving at the tee at 7:19 a.m.

The penalty turned a potential share of Higgo's early lead into a grind and sparked a lengthy argument with PGA officials, as he had little chance of winning. When ESPN's Marty Smith asked him flat out whether he agreed with the call, Higgo didn't sugarcoat it. "Probably not, but it's fine. I was late. One second is tough."

The PGA Championship Rules Committee defined the starting point using ropes, gallery stakes, fencing, and blue markings surrounding the tee area. Under Rule 5.3a, players must be fully ready to play at the exact starting time, precise down to the second.

Higgo's caddie, Austin Gaugert, was already standing on the tee box. Higgo had his putter in hand. But none of that mattered.

Higgo was allowed to remain in the tournament because of an exception to Rule 5.3a, which allows a golfer to arrive at the starting point ready to play no more than five minutes late. He scraped inside that window. So instead of a DQ, he faced a two-stroke penalty on his opening hole, equating to an effective double bogey before he even took a swing.

He made birdies on holes 3 and 9 to get back to even par at the turn, then finished the day at 1-under. Without the penalty, he would have been 3-under, and that is what hurts the most.

Garrick Higgo showed the video to the officials, but got nowhere 

After signing his scorecard, Garrick Higgo did not leave right away. He went straight to the scoring tent, clearly upset, and spent about 20 minutes talking to PGA of America officials and explaining his side.

The tape was his first move. Broadcast pictures showed him arriving as Micheel had already struck his tee shot. That didn't help his case. Neither did the animated back-and-forth with officials that followed.

His playing partners, Shaun Micheel and Michael Brennan, spoke up for him. "They actually argued my case for me," Higgo said. "I asked them if I bothered them for being late, and they said it was fine."

Garrick Higgo also argued that the rule is too strict. He said players are often sent off 10 to 15 seconds late on tour without penalty, so, in his view, being one minute late should not be treated much differently from being one second late.

Do you think one minute deserves the same punishment as one second? Drop your thoughts in the comments

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy