In the first round of the U.S. Open, Joaquin Niemann was knocked with a two-stroke penalty following him allegedly tossing his golf club “at least 50 years” amid a horrible showing on the sixth hole where he ultimately scored a septuple bogey.
A volunteer for the U.S. Open who saw the scene go down, Tristan Chang spoke to The Athletic and claimed that Niemann requested a relief ruling connected to fire ants that were around his ball. After he was issued a denial, Niemann took to the flag marking the ball and kicked it, and then following that, he put a kick into the grass and threw his club approximately 50 yards. (RELATED: Trump Weighs In On Issue Splitting Golf Fans, PGA Stars Everywhere)
“It was a pretty impressive throw, actually,” said Chang, per The Athletic.
The alleged antics from Niemann takes place only months following the four major tournaments agreeing to a fresh policy for code of conduct for the 2026 season.
Just talked to a volunteer, Tristan Chang, who witnessed Joaquin Niemann’s club throw that cost him a two-shot penalty:
-After hitting two balls OB, Niemann tried to get free relief from fire ants (to no avail) from where his third drive ended up in the fescue
-Got visibly…— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) June 19, 2026
Per the USGA, severe misconduct is defined as, “If a player’s (or their caddie’s) behavior is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf, in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Championship Director, may apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact, intent and severity of the misconduct,” per Yahoo Sports.
The on-course behavior from Niemann allegedly got to the point where punishment was needed. Footage of the scene hasn’t been discovered as of yet.
Niemann, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, is trying to climb his way back up the leaderboard following a first-round score of 78 that placed him a good distance away from the cut line. In the second round, through the first nine holes he played, Niemann put up five birdies and is four-under in Friday play, while being four-over for the U.S. Open. As a result, that places him only one shot away from the cut, which could potentially shift to four-over later in the round.