PGA Championship star parts ways with caddie after | Golf News

Golf partnerships between participant and caddie are sacred, yet can dissolve over varied causes, from inaccurate putt reads and incorrect yardages to gamers transitioning from trusted pals to seasoned veterans who’ve labored alongside elite PGA Tour professionals.

Garrick Higgo’s separation from Austin Gaugert stemmed from a resolution made following one minute misplaced during a PGA Tour major championship. Higgo has now introduced on Nick Cavendish-Pell, the caddie who carried his bag during his 2021 Palmetto Championship victory.

The initial mistake occurred before Higgo even hit his opening tee shot on Thursday. Despite having a 7:18 a.m. tee time, tv footage captured Gaugert pushing him to rush as Higgo made his means from the placing inexperienced, reaching the designated beginning space at 7:19 a.m.

According to Rule 5.3, arriving no more than 5 minutes late incurs a two-stroke penalty quite than disqualification. Higgo still delivered a stable opening spherical of 69 despite the penalty, but adopted with a 76 on Friday and failed to make the cut by a single stroke at 5-over.

Higgo was subsequently seen inside the scoring space engaged in a heated exchange with officers as the matter was resolved. He acknowledged that he understood the rule, but felt he was close enough to the tee that the state of affairs was tough to settle for.

Gaugert appeared to not directly acknowledge the end of their partnership on social media. The duo’s collaboration on the course had only begun in May of last 12 months.

The caddie shared an Instagram story that includes a meme studying “we didnt know it was the best time until it was over,” alongside crying emojis set to Kygo’s “Stole the Show.” Higgo revealed that their dialog centered fully on gathering evidence to assist his case.

“I was just trying to get evidence. I feel like any of you would have done the same,” Higgo said. “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.”

The 27-year-old also attributed the incident to his own overly relaxed pre-round routine. “If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back … I don’t want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time.”

Higgo has missed cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open, WM Phoenix Open, Genesis Invitational, The Players Championship, Valspar Championship, Valero Texas Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and PGA Championship.

He earned finishes of T60 at Pebble Beach, T40 at the Cognizant Classic, T69 in Houston, T52 at RBC Heritage, and T67 at Myrtle Beach.