On Time, But Late at the 2026 PGA Championship

The PGA Championship, whatever you might think its identity is, or whether it needs one, has a knack for becoming the theater of the absurd. For example, you probably did not wake up on Thursday and expect Garrick Higgo to become the top story of the first round.

But Higgo, and his tardy slip for arriving late (maybe, depending on your definition of time and language), took the sports world by storm. He did not cross the defined and stated threshold for what is considered the official first tee area in time and was greeted by a rules official telling him he was late and it would be a two-shot penalty. He had broken rule 5.3a, which notes that a “starting time set by the committee is treated as an exact time.” So, you need to be there at 7:18:00 and not the seconds in between 7:18 and 7:19. ESPN cameras caught him bouncing down the walkway with a timestamp graphic on their screen of 7:19.

If not for that penalty, he’d be tied for the lead with a 3-under 67. Instead, it is a 1-under 69. But the penalty was not the most absurd part of the Higgo story arc on Thursday. After he lobbied his case with officials for some 20 minutes before turning in his scorecard, here are some things he said about the controversy to Marty Smith of ESPN, SiriusXM Radio, and the assembled press, stitched together with my own internal monologue parsing the transcripts.

“I wouldn’t have been late if I knew I was running late.”

I never really understood old man media types waxing about Yogi Berra, but I’m starting to understand the appeal.

“I was obviously there on time, but late.”

Nothing about this seems “obvious.” Explain.

“I was late. I mean, one second is tough. One second is tough to define.”

It actually is among the easier things to define. The definition is quite clear. It’s finite.

“I was there on time, but the rule is, if you're one second late, you're late. So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean.”

I am following your instructions and thinking about it and I am still not sure what you mean.

“It wasn't a surprise. I was late. I mean, my caddie was yelling at me to get to the tee. I knew it was probably going to happen, yeah.”

It feels like we’re slowly getting there. But why was it so close?

“I don’t know. I don’t want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time.”

You did have time between 10 minutes early and one second late. No?

“I always cut it pretty fine. There’s a lot of us who do. We don’t want to get to the tee 10 minutes early and be cold. We have to hit it far and straight. It’s our job to do that. I don’t really think it’s my job to be 10 minutes early.”

That’s correct. But it is your job to be on time, no? Scottie Scheffler literally got arrested, went to jail, and made it to the first tee on time all in the same day in this same championship a couple years ago.

“If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back…I was obviously too casual … So obviously cut it too fine.”

It was a fine cut, to be sure. But never thought of checking the time while shuffling about cutting it fine?

“I didn’t have my watch or my phone on me. My caddie was dropping off my Trackman so went to the putting green, hit one putt, then heard my name and ran down.”

A shame, though “ran” might not be the definition I’d use based on the video on ESPN, but we’re learning words can have different meanings. Regardless, we are enthralled with your golf skills, opening round, and personality now.

“I am already in the clouds a little bit as it is.”

Indeed, we are learning this in many glorious ways.