Theegala hit – Sahith Theegala was assessed a one-shot penalty on Friday at the PGA Championship after the ball clipped a tree and nobody on site could confirm where it landed, forcing him to replay from the bunker under stroke-and-distance rules.
Two rounds into the 2026 PGA Championship, the stakes have been high for a different reason than the leaderboard. A pair of harsh penalties—one straight from timing rules, the other from a baffling ball search—has already changed how the tournament is being played.
On Thursday, Garrick Higgo arrived at his tee time just over a minute late and was hit with a two-stroke penalty. The setback proved decisive as he missed the cut by one shot.
Friday brought a stranger moment on the 10th hole, one that ESPN cameras captured as Sahith Theegala watched his ball head toward the water. On broadcast, on-course reporter John McGuiness said the shot clipped a tree just in front of the bunker.
The problem was immediate: neither McGuiness, nor the thousands of volunteers, spectators, or other personnel on the course could identify where the ball ended up. With the location unresolved, Theegala was forced to take a one-shot penalty and replay from the bunker under stroke-and-distance rules.
McGuiness described the mounting time pressure during the search. “The search is still ongoing, but I think we’re almost out of time,” he said on the broadcast.
When play resumed, the damage was done. Theegala went on to make triple bogey after the replay, slipping back to even-par. He finished the day three over and now sits five shots behind the leaders, Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy, both at four-under.
Despite the episode, Theegala remains in a tie for 30th. PGATour.com later characterized the incident as “bizarre,” underscoring how rare it is for a ball to vanish in a way that leaves a player scrambling under the rules.
PGA Championship 2026 Sahith Theegala Garrick Higgo penalties stroke-and-distance lost ball Alex Smalley Maverick McNealy