sports
Niemann Takes Two-Stroke Penalty for Club Throw at 2026 US Open
Joaquin Niemann received a two-stroke penalty on the sixth hole of his opening round at Shinnecock Hills and finished with a first-round 78. He shot 65 in the second round and remained inside the cut line.
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Joaquin Niemann received a two-stroke penalty for throwing a club on the sixth hole during his opening round at the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. The penalty contributed to an 11 on the hole and an eight-over-par first-round total of 78. The 27-year-old Chilean from Chile shot 65 in the second round and moved back inside the cut line.
Niemann is coached by Pete Cowan. Cowan said the penalty was applied inconsistently. “It’s arbitrary because they picked him out of a load of people who threw clubs yesterday and gave him a two-shot penalty,” Cowan stated.
Cowan added that enforcement appeared to depend on personal judgment. “It depends on whether you like him or you don’t like him; it’s two shots if you don’t like him, or it’s not two shots because he’s a decent guy or he hasn’t thrown it as far or whatever,” he said. ” On Friday, Jon Rahm kicked his driver down the fairway at Shinnecock Hills and received no penalty.
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