Joaquin Niemann faced a two‑shot penalty at the US Open after throwing a sand wedge during his first‑round tee shot on the sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills. The Chilean, who was level‑par with four holes left, sent the club into the rough, prompting officials to invoke Rule 1.2b for serious misconduct and penalty was unprecedented for.

Officials informed Niemann of the sanction only after he signed his scorecard the next morning. He finished round one at a costly 78, a septuple‑bogey 11 that pushed him out of the early cut line. The penalty echoes a similar sanction imposed on Sergio García at the Masters for club abuse that was a warning.

Niemann later admitted frustration after the horn blew to suspend play for bad light, describing the moment he could not resist throwing the club. He rebounded in the second round, recording five birdies in the first six holes and matching Collin Morikawa’s five‑under 65 morning wave and maintained a solid start through the day again.

The two‑shot penalty under Rule 1.2b signals the USGA’s tightening grip on conduct in majors. With Niemann now 11 strokes off the cut, his focus shifts to learning from the setback. The incident underscores the strict standards players must meet to compete at Shinnecock Hills for all participants in the event this season and future tournaments.