Bizarre Walk-Offs & Costly Penalties - May 20th, 2026

On May 20th, 2026, we step away from the PGA Championship leaderboard to unpack a wild week of bizarre US Open qualifying walk-offs, costly tee-time penalties, and historic major milestones.US OPEN QUALIFYINGEugenio Chacarra stunned the golf world by walking out of a 6-for-1 playoff at the US Open Final Qualifying in Dallas just to catch a flight to the DP World Tour's Soudal Open, handing Caleb Surratt the direct spot."My goal is to get my PGA Tour card," Chacarra stated, defending his controversial exit.Chandler Phillips and Henrik Norlander were left staying behind as alternates while Chacarra rushed to the airport.PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FALLOUTGarrick Higgo missed the Aronimink cut by a single stroke after arriving just one minute late for his 7:18 AM tee time, resulting in a devastating two-stroke penalty and the immediate firing of his caddie over a TrackMan mix-up."I was obviously too casual," Higgo admitted before rehiring Nick Cavendish Pell for the upcoming CJ Cup Byron Nelson.A single minute of tardiness completely derailed his major championship weekend and upended his bag.PGA TOUR MILESTONESAdam Scott officially qualified for the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills, marking his monumental 100th consecutive major championship start while simultaneously stepping down from his role as PAC Chairman.Scott is now second only to Jack Nicklaus’s legendary streak of 146 consecutive majors, noting he wants to "celebrate winning the United States Open than just play in it."Free from his PAC Chairman duties, the veteran is fully shifting his mental focus from boardroom politics back to major glory.OFF-COURSE & MENTAL HEALTHMarco Penge is taking an indefinite leave of absence following a missed cut at Aronimink to focus on his health and family, while Paige Spiranac opened up about battling the driver yips at the Truist Pro Am.Spiranac candidly admitted, "Golf is the reason I am in therapy," while Penge noted, "Routine for me keeps the mind at ease."Penge's break follows a grueling period dealing with a viral infection, his ADHD, and his newborn son Romeo’s 21-day stay in the NICU.Quick HitsThe Korn Ferry Tour and President Alex Baldwin publish Average Stroke Time (AST) data to combat slow play, revealing Nicholas Infanti as the fastest and Ian Gilligan as the slowest • Tiger Woods makes a special appearance at Kai Trump's graduation • Michelle Wie West makes her golf course architecture debut designing a par-3 course called "Sweet Tooth" at Candyroot Lodge Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.