Joaquin Niemann, a professional golfer, was penalized two shots for throwing his club during the US Open. The incident occurred on the sixth hole of the first round, where Niemann became frustrated after hitting two tee shots out of play and was denied a drop due to the presence of ants near his ball.
USGA Policy
The USGA cited Rule 1.2b on “Code of Conduct” for the penalty, which includes incidents of unacceptable language and abuse of clubs or the course. Niemann was informed of the penalty after signing his card and was given 37 minutes before his next tee time.
Niemann argued the penalty but ultimately accepted it, stating that he was not proud of his behavior and would learn from it. He went on to birdie five of the first six holes of his second round and shot 65 to make the cut.
The USGA has been working to develop consistent guidelines for a conduct policy, which has been applied in recent years to promote better behavior among golfers. The policy has been used in several tournaments, including the Masters, where Sergio Garcia was issued a warning for slamming his club into the turf.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
