Joaquín Niemann penalized for throwing a club in U.S. OpenMark SchlabachJun 19, 2026, 09:30 AM ETClose
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Chile’s Joaquín Niemann drove two balls out of bounds on the par-4 sixth, his 15th hole of the round, shortly before play was suspended because of darkness in Thursday’s opening round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
It would only get worse for the LIV Golf League captain once play resumed Friday morning.
Niemann ended up carding a quintuple-bogey 9 on the hole, but it was later changed to a 7-over 11 after the United States Golf Association docked him a two-stroke penalty for throwing a club on the hole.
Joaquin Niemann docked a two-stroke penalty for throwing a club on the hole in the opening round of the U.S. Open. Kate McShane/Getty ImagesNiemann, 27, ended up posting an 8-over 78 in the first round. He was already back on the course playing the second round when the penalty was unveiled.Niemann threw his club after his approach — his sixth shot on the hole — came up short of the sixth green.The USGA mentioned Niemann’s act in the first round was determined to be “serious misconduct” under Rule 1.2b of the Rules of Golf, which dictates that “players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity, showing consideration to others and taking good care of the course.”The rule allows tournament committees to “establish and enforce specific standards of player behavior on the course, utilizing penalties ranging from a single stroke to total disqualification depending on the severity of the misconduct.”Niemann, who is ranked 80th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is the first golfer to be disciplined under the code of conduct policy in a major this season.In April, Sergio García was issued a code-of-conduct warning, a first at the Masters, when he broke his driver on a cooler during an outburst on the second hole of the final round at Augusta National.
