Joaquin Niemann gets two-stroke penalty for club throw at US Open

Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann was assessed a two-stroke penalty for serious misconduct during the first round of the U.S. Open on Friday, June 19, marking the first direct penalty under a new, unified code of conduct adopted by golf's major championships this year. The penalty was applied after Niemann threw a club in frustration on the par-4 sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York.

The incident occurred during Niemann's opening round on Thursday, which was suspended due to darkness and completed Friday morning after a fog delay. According to officials and a volunteer who witnessed the event, Niemann's frustration mounted after hitting two tee shots out of bounds on the difficult hole. His third drive landed in knee-high fescue, and after a series of shots, he threw an iron approximately 50 yards. The United States Golf Association (USGA) invoked Rule 1.2b, stating the act constituted serious misconduct far removed from the expected spirit of the game.

The two-stroke penalty transformed his score on the sixth hole from a nine to an 11, a septuple bogey. Niemann, who had been even par for the tournament before the hole, finished the first round with an...