Joaquin Niemann was penalized two strokes at the 2026 US Open after throwing his club on the par-four sixth hole during his first round on June 18 at Shinnecock Hills [1, 2, 3]. The penalty followed Niemann hitting two drives out of bounds on the same hole before he lost patience and threw his sand wedge after an awkward lie. The incident resulted in a septuple bogey on the hole [1, 2, 3].
The penalty was applied under a new code of conduct introduced for major championships in 2026. Officials cited "serious misconduct" under rule 1.2b for the sanction [2]. Niemann accepted the decision, saying he was "not proud" of the club-throwing and agreed that it was right. He said, "I was trying to argue back but it's their decision and I feel like I wouldn't be happy seeing players throwing clubs and behaving that way so, yeah, I agree." He added that he was frustrated after two out-of-bounds shots and a bad lie, describing how the frustration overwhelmed him [2].
Niemann finished the first round with an eight-over 78, hindered mostly by the disastrous sixth hole [2]. Play was suspended that evening due to darkness and a two-hour fog delay, resuming early on June 19 [1, 3]. Niemann shot a five-under 65 in the second round, bringing his total to three over par and placing him just inside the projected cut line [2]. However, he remained 14 strokes behind the leader Wyndham Clark after three holes on the second day [1, 3].
The US Open’s new code of conduct has already led to reprimands this season, including penalties for Robert MacIntyre and Sergio Garcia at the Masters in April [2]. Niemann's penalty marks one of the more significant applications of the rule.
On the morning of June 19, after the resumed first round play, Niemann was officially informed of the two-stroke penalty following the review of his conduct on June 18 [1, 2, 3]. He signed his scorecard before being notified, stating, "I finished my round, signed my scorecard, and then a referee came up to me and said 'I need to talk to you'. I knew I had a misbehaviour but I feel like everybody had some and it's never going to be anything major like a two-shot penalty, you know?" [2].
Niemann will now aim to play steady golf to secure his spot as the event moves closer to the cut line decision scheduled after the second round on June 19.
