Professional golf has absolutely zero tolerance for tardiness, and Ian Gilligan found that the hard way at the 2026 BMW Charity Pro-Am. The Korn Ferry Tour pro made a costly blunder that has drawn fresh attention to golfers missing tee times in tournaments.

Adam Schupak of Golfweek reported that Ian Gilligan arrived at the first tee eight seconds late from his assigned tee time of 6:56 a.m. ET. Under Rule 5.3a of the Rules of Golf, a player must arrive at the designated teeing-off area at the right time. Depending on how late they arrive, the penalty can range from two strokes to disqualification. But what makes Gilligan’s case more interesting and very different from Garrick Higgo’s at the PGA Championship is that the KFT pro was not solely to blame.

As Gilligan explained to Schupak, he was in the practice range and was waiting for the tournament shuttle to arrive. He had 16 minutes in hand, and the shuttle usually takes five minutes. Golfers were allowed to arrive at the teeing zone in cars as well, and Gilligan noticed a few players getting into their cars. But he didn’t know any of them and chose to wait for the shuttle. That turned out to be the biggest mistake.

There were 160 players in the field, and the tournament is split between two courses. There weren’t enough shuttle cars to run the operation smoothly. It arrived late, and by the time Gilligan jumped out—before it had even come to a complete stop—he was eight seconds late. That proved costly in the long run.

Gilligan received a two-stroke penalty. So like Garrick Higgo, his par on the first hole turned out to be a double bogey. It rattled him a bit as he made three bogeys on the front nine and made the turn at 4-over. Ian Gilligan recovered with four birdies on the back nine but ended the day with a bogey on the 18th to settle for 1-over 71 at the Country Club of Spartanburg. That two-stroke penalty cost him 44 spots on the leaderboard. He finished the day T96 instead of T52. However, Gilligan took full responsibility for the situation.

“I take full responsibility. I should have kept everything in my control. It’s a learning experience. If I ever have to take shuttle again, I will give myself more time,” the 23-year-old was quoted by Golfweek as saying.

The BMW Charity Pro-Am is the 13th of the 25 events in the Korn Ferry Tour schedule and carries a purse of $1,000,000. At the season’s end, the top 20 players on the points list will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2027 season. And Ian Gilligan, who has been one of the more consistent performers this year with six top-10 finishes, cannot afford unnecessary penalty strokes piling up at this stage of his year.

Ian Gilligan isn’t alone; just last month at the PGA Championship, South Africa’s Garrick Higgo was also given a penalty as he was late to his tee time. Unlike Gilligan, Higgo tried to skirt the responsibility by playing down his mistake.

Nevertheless, the penalty lands at an awkward time for Gilligan. According to the Korn Ferry Tour’s newly released Average Stroke Time data, the University of Florida grad ranks as the slowest player on tour through 11 events of the 2026 season. That data was privately available to players throughout 2026 but became public following the Colonial Life Charity Classic in May.

Despite those struggles with time management, Gilligan remains one of the most talented young players on the developmental circuit.

What’s Ahead for Ian Gilligan 

Gilligan has earned four top-10 finishes in his seven starts this season, and the backstory is one of genuine resilience. In June 2018, at 15 years old, he was diagnosed with stage 4 ALK-negative large cell lymphoma. It is a rare form of disease typically diagnosed in elderly folks.

Gilligan wrote on his Instagram at that time, “It’s going to be a tough five months, but I’m not going to lose it!”

Seven rounds of chemotherapy later, the youngster was thriving again. He had lost 10 pounds but none of his mental fortitude. His dad told Nevada Sports Net in 2019 that Gilligan was using golf as a means to stay positive. He would tell his dad not to worry and would continue to sneak a few rounds of golf in between treatment weeks. That determination did pay off.

Ian Gilligan went on to win the 2024 Western Amateur and 2025 Australian Master of Amateurs before turning professional.

Up next for Gilligan is the OccuNet Classic in Texas as the race for a PGA Tour card continues to tighten. Right now he ranks 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour points list. For the next tournament, Gilligan needs clean rounds and no more penalty strokes. How he performs on the weekend will be worth watching closely.