Garrick Higgo parts with caddie

Garrick Higgo parted with caddie Austin Gaugert within days of one of the strangest penalties of last week’s PGA Championship. Multiple outlets, including GOLF.com and Golfweek, reported on May 19 that Higgo and Gaugert were no longer working together after Higgo was assessed a two-stroke penalty for arriving late to his opening-round tee time. The penalty came before Higgo hit his first shot at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Higgo later missed the cut by one stroke. ### How did the penalty happen? The PGA of America said Garrick Higgo was penalized two strokes for being late to the tee at 7:18 a.m. on the first tee during round one of the PGA Championship. The governing body said Higgo was on the practice putting green but was not within the area defined as the starting point at his starting time. That ruling was issued publicly by the PGA of America Rules Committee. (golf.com) PGA Tour coverage of the incident quoted Higgo saying he thought he still had time. “If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back,” Higgo said, according to PGA Tour. “I don’t want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time.” (pgachampionship.com) ### Why did the episode draw so much attention? Aronimink Golf Club became the setting for a rare rules incident because missed tee times are unusual at major championships. Video and reports from the scene showed Gaugert urging Higgo to get to the tee, and the penalty was applied before Higgo began his round. Golf Digest and other outlets said the episode quickly became one of the early talking points of the championship. (pgatour.com) Friday’s cut line added to the scrutiny. Higgo shot 69 in the first round despite the penalty, then 76 in the second round, and missed the cut by one stroke, according to Golf Digest and the New York Post. That left the two-stroke penalty as a direct part of the arithmetic of his exit. ### What is known about the split with Austin Gaugert? (golfdigest.com) Golfweek reported that Higgo and Austin Gaugert split after the PGA Championship, and that account was matched by GOLF.com, USA Today and other outlets on May 18 and May 19. None of the reports cited a public statement from Higgo or Gaugert laying out the reason for the change. The timing, though, came immediately after the tee-time incident and missed cut. (golfdigest.com) The reporting also placed the move in the context of a short partnership. The Express said Higgo and Gaugert had been working together since May 2025. ### Who is taking the bag next? Golfweek reported that Nick Cavendish-Pell would caddie for Higgo at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Golf Channel and Today’s Golfer carried the same detail in follow-up reports on the split. (golfweek.usatoday.com) The CJ Cup Byron Nelson was the next named stop in the reporting around Higgo’s schedule. (the-express.com) That event, and Cavendish-Pell’s presence on the bag, were the concrete next steps cited after the PGA Championship fallout. (golfchannel.com) (golfweek.usatoday.com)