PGA Championship 2026: Garrick Higgo doesn't want to know how costly his rules blunder really wound up being
Garrick Higgo will be forever linked to the 2026 PGA Championship for the rules blunder he committed on Thursday morning. That’s when the 27-year-old South African was hit with a two-shot penalty for being late for his 7:18 a.m. tee time off the first hole at Aronimink. Somehow he managed to still post a one-under 69 to be just two off the lead, and then after the round, he channeled his inner Yogi Berra with this all-time quote:
“I was there on time, but the rule is, if you’re one second late, you’re late,” Higgo said. “So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean.”
But giving up two shots to the field isn’t something that’s advised at major championships, as Higgo learned the hard way on Friday. After playing his first nine holes in four-over par, Higgo posted a six-over 76 to leave himself at five-over 145 for the tournament. Unfortunately, the cutline at the PGA was four-over 144, meaning that if Higgo had those two shots back he would be playing the weekend at Aronimink rather than missing the cut for the fifth time in eight career major starts.
The question then arises: Just how costly was that penalty? Well, consider the circumstances of Michael Kim and Justin Rose. Both made late eagles on Friday to get just inside that four over cutline. They then capitalized on having a third-round tee time but getting off to impressive starts under seemingly more playable scoring conditions . Kim made six birdies in his first seven holes and got to two under, just two shots back of the lead. Rose was doing even better, making six birdies through his opening 13 holes to get within one shot of the lead. More PGA Championship coverage 
Higgo could have had a similar chance then on Saturday if not for the penalty strokes. And a good performance could have been pretty lucrative. The PGA of America announced Saturday morning that the prize money payout this week is a record $20.5 million. First place gets you $3.69 million; 20th place is $252,230. Heck last place gets you $23,900. Higgo had to settle for the $4,300 stipend given to any player who missed the cut.
Beyond money, though, a good performance in a major to help him in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was ranked 85th entering the week, and anybody inside the top 70 after the PGA Championship would have gotten an exemption into the U.S. Open. Ouch! He’s also not into the Open Championship either, and the World Rankings can help you there as well.
Additionally, Higgo is 173rd to date on the FedEx Cup points list. Again, a nice weekend would have helped him bank more points and get himself in position to try to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
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