AR
Joaquin Niemann is grateful that he’ll be playing on the weekend at the 2026 U.S. Open, an outcome that seemed highly unlikely given what transpired during his first round at Shinnecock Hills.
When the 27-year-old Argentine signed for an eight-over 78 Friday morning, his opening 18 holes having spill over a day after play was called for darkness Thursday, it included a two-shot penalty that the USGA assessed him for throwing a club during the round, an act that was deemed to be “serious misconduct” of the Rules of Golf.
Niemann was quickly back on the course for his second round, in which he proceeded to make seven birdies and post a five-under 65 to get him to a three-over total that put him one shot inside the cutline.
“I’m not proud of it,” Niemann said on Friday afternoon of the incident that got him penalised, “but yeah, I mean, sometimes, you know, all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated, and that was me there.”
According to the USGA, Niemann was penalised for throwing a club on the sixth hole (his 15th hole of the first round). It was shortly before play was called for darkness on Thursday, and Niemann had hit two drives out of bounds on the hole. His fifth shot off the tee then found the fescue.
Niemann then asked a rules official about getting relief from what he believed were fire ants near his ball. A rules official denied his request. Niemann then hit his sixth shot with a sand wedge into the fairway.
According to a report by The Athletic, a U.S. Open volunteer on the scene said that Niemann was upset and “kicked the flag that had been marking the ball, kicked the grass, and chucked his club at least 50 yards.” Tour cast shows then that Niemann played a sixth shot into the fairway and then lists penalty for his seventh and eighth shots.
“I saw a lot of ants there, and I was just asking the referee if they were fire ants, and like, he say, no. To be honest, I was pretty … I wasn’t angry asking him. I was pretty normal, pretty chill, because I knew I needed to keep going and try to shoot the less possible.
“After that shot, I hit it, I lay up, and the whole frustration went inside me. I think they blew the horn already. I’m not sure if they did or not, but after I hit that shot, yeah, I was … like all the frustration that came inside me and had my club in my hand, and I couldn’t resist to throw it away.”
Niemann said he looked around and that no people were around where he threw the club.
Niemann didn’t finish the hole until Friday morning, which is when he learned about the two-stroke penalty. In the brief time between when he finished the first round and started his second, Niemann reportedly was in tears over the penalty.
After the second round, Niemann and several members of his team met with USGA officials to see if there was any way of overturning the penalty. According to the USGA, there is no formal appeal for this ruling and while sometimes second opinions are allowed, in this instance the ruling was made by all the key decision makers.
“That was a misbehave from my part,” Niemann said. “I felt like a little bit extra penalised with two-shot penalty, but I think it is what it is. I think I’m going to learn from it. It definitely kind of helped me a little bit to have a better round today.”
MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE
U.S. Open 2026 Power Rankings: The entire field ranked at Shinnecock Hills
U.S. Open 2026 prize money: Here’s the record payout each golfer will earn at Shinnecock Hills
The Shinnecock greens are so tough Alex Fitzpatrick is practicing with … a VR headset?
Why players were strategically skipping practice rounds on Monday
Tommy Fleetwood has made Open history that irks the hell out of him … and makes him proud
The USGA delayed its rollback plan to save golf from something much worse
Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media
Main Image: Mike Mulholland
