Casual golf fans likely didn’t know who Garrick Higgo was before the PGA Championship, but now he will forever be known as the golfer who earned a two-stroke penalty for missing his tee time in the first round.
The South African was only one minute late to his 7:18 a.m. tee time, as he was on the putting green before starting his first round. He was walking to the first tee box at Aronimink Golf Club when the clock struck 7:19 a.m. His caddie, Austin Gaugert, was at the tee box even though Higgo wasn’t. After his round, Garrick admitted that Gaugert tried to get him to make his tee time.
“I was late. I mean, my caddie was yelling at me to get to the tee,” Higgo said.
Higgo shot 1 under on Thursday despite starting on the wrong foot. But he turned around and shot 6 over on Friday. Higgo was sure to arrive on time that day, when he got to the tee box a whole seven minutes early. But he ultimately missed the PGA Championship cut by one stroke, meaning if he hadn’t been handed the two-stroke penalty on day one, he would’ve made it.
On Monday, Higgo reportedly made the decision to part ways with Gaugert, Golfweek’s Adam Schupak reported. Higgo turned around and hired Nick Cavendish-Pell, who he has worked with in the past. Cavendish-Pell will be on the bag for Higgo at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Dallas.
Higgo hasn’t yet publicly addressed his caddie change, but it’s hard not to assume that the late penalty contributed to the 27-year-old's decision to move on from Gaugert.
Gaugert also hasn’t spoken out about what happened with Higgo on Thursday, but that’s normal, as caddies don’t typically speak about their golfers to the public.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Garrick Higgo Splits With His Caddie Days After Late Penalty at PGA Championship.
