Joaquin Niemann got a penalty for breaking a new rule at the US Open.
Joaquin Niemann made history as the first golfer to be penalized under a new rule applied across all major championships.
The 126th US Open is in full swing at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York, with Wyndham Clark holding a strong lead as the weekend approaches. Clark is at seven-under, setting a 36-hole scoring record for the US Open at Shinnecock—quite a turnaround from last year when he was banned from Oakmont for smashing a locker after a tough tournament.
The cut line was set at four-over, and 72 players made it to the weekend. Unfortunately, two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t one of them. He finished at five-over, two strokes short of the cut, after rounds of 70 and 75. This marks the third major in a row where DeChambeau didn’t make the weekend and the first time in his career he’s missed three majors in a row.
For the 2026 season, a new code of conduct was introduced at all major events. This gives officials the power to penalize players for bad behavior on the course, with penalties ranging from warnings to adding strokes to their score.
At the Masters in April, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Spain’s Sergio Garcia were both warned for their conduct. Now, we’ve seen the first penalty under the new rule. Niemann received a two-shot penalty under rule 1.2b for “serious misconduct” during his first round.
He threw his sand wedge in frustration on the par-4 sixth hole after hitting his tee shot out of bounds twice and then landing in a tough spot. His score for the hole rose from nine to eleven.
Niemann hadn’t even finished the hole when play was stopped due to darkness, so he had to come back on Friday morning to finish. Reportedly, a police officer delivered his club back to him.
He finished the round with an eight-over 78 but bounced back with a five-under 65 in the second round, making the cut at three-over.
Niemann said, “I finished my round and signed my scorecard, then a referee came to me and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’ I knew I’d misbehaved, but I didn’t expect a two-shot penalty. It’s never going to be something major like that, right?
“They talked it over and decided the penalty was fair. I tried to argue but it’s their call, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to see players throwing clubs and acting that way either, so I agree.”
He added, “I hit two shots out of bounds and got really frustrated. I had a bad lie, saw a lot of ants, and asked the referee if they were fire ants. He said no. I wasn’t angry then. After I hit the next shot, all my frustration came out, and I just couldn’t stop myself from throwing my club. No one was around, but I’m not proud of it.”
Niemann is the most successful player in LIV Golf history with eight wins. He claimed his first victory of 2026 at LIV Golf Korea, beating Talor Gooch in a playoff.
But things haven’t been as smooth in majors. He didn’t qualify for the 2026 Masters, and Shinnecock is only his second major this year. He missed the cut at the 2025 US Open and exited the 2025 Open early as well.