Niemann Hit With Two-Shot US Open Penalty for Club
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- Joaquin Niemann received a two-shot penalty under Rule 1.2b for 'serious misconduct' after throwing a sand wedge at the par-four sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills, converting his quintuple-bogey 9 into an 11.
- Niemann said the penalty surprised him — 'I felt like a little bit extra penalised' — while admitting 'I'm the first one to judge myself when I don't behave on the golf course' and vowing to 'learn from it.'
- Niemann attributed the outburst to mounting frustration after two tee shots went out of bounds and the horn blew to suspend play for darkness: 'all the frustration came inside me. Had my club in my hand and I couldn't resist to throw it away.'
- Niemann responded with a five-under 65 in his second round, matching Collin Morikawa's lowest score of the morning wave and saying the penalty 'helped me a little bit to have a better round today.'
- The Masters became the first major to use the serious-misconduct policy earlier this year on Sergio Garcia, who broke his driver by swinging it at a water cooler — under Masters policy, a first violation brings a warning, a second a two-shot penalty, and a third disqualification.
- The USGA's version allows officials to assess a two-shot penalty or disqualify a player if behavior is 'so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf,' and the governing body confirmed Niemann's act 'was determined to be serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b.'
Why it matters: The USGA's use of the rarely invoked serious-misconduct rule on Niemann — only the second major to deploy it after the Masters penalized Sergio Garcia this year — signals that golf's governing bodies are willing to escalate beyond traditional club-throwing penalties, raising the cost of on-course outbursts with a two-shot swing that directly alters tournament position.
