Garrick Higgo splits with caddie after 2-stroke penalty for tardiness at PGA Championship

Garrick Higgo had Austin Gaugert as a caddie at the Corales Puntancana Championship in 2025. Raj Mehta / Getty Images Share articleGarrick Higgo is splitting with caddie Austin Gaugert just days after the golfer was penalized two shots for being late to his opening round at the PGA Championship, Higgo’s agent confirmed to The Athletic. Higgo hired Nick Cavendish-Pell to replace Gaugert, who has served as Higgo’s caddie since 2025, when Higgo won the 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic. Gaugert has also caddied for Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Moore and Alex Noren. It isn’t unusual for players and caddies to part ways, but the penalty against Higgo likely cost him a chance to make the weekend cut at the second major championship of the season, which was held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa. Higgo was scheduled to tee off on No. 1 at 7:18 a.m. ET, but ESPN recorded him as one minute late. So, as Higgo approached the first tee with everyone waiting for him, the announcer told him he had been given a two-stroke penalty. Later, Huggo played one of the best rounds of his career. The 27-year-old, who has never finished better than tied for 47th in a major, would have shot a 67 in the round, which would have been good enough for a share of the lead, but the penalty dropped him to 1 under par. PGA of America Rule 5.3A states: “A starting time set by the Committee is treated as an exact time (for example, 9 a.m. means 9:00:00 a.m., not any time until 9:01 a.m.).” After the round, Higgo said he didn’t know he was late. “No, I wouldn’t have been late if I knew I was running late,” he said Thursday. “If anything, I could have added maybe five minutes for the walk from the range to the tee,” Higgo added. Higgo shot 76 on Friday and missed the cut by one stroke. Cavendish-Pell caddied for Higgo in 2021 at the Palmetto Championship and most recently served in the role on the PGA Tour for Adrien Saddier, a 34-year-old rookie Frenchman. Golfweek first reported the news. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms