Joaquin Niemann’s U.S. Open blowup featured two OB drives, a tossed club, a two-shot penalty and an ugly 11 at Shinnecock Hills.
Joaquin Niemann’s U.S. Open started with frustration, spiraled into chaos and ended with one of the ugliest numbers of the first round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
The damage came at the par-4 sixth hole, where Niemann’s round completely unraveled.
After hitting two drives out of bounds, the LIV Golf standout was already staring at a disaster. Then came the moment that made it worse ... Niemann threw his club after an approach shot came up short of the green.
That outburst didn’t just look bad. It cost him.
The USGA assessed Niemann a two-stroke penalty for serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b, turning what had initially been recorded as a quintuple-bogey 9 into a brutal septuple-bogey 11.
In a championship where par already feels like a small victory, an 11 on the card is basically a flashing red light.
And Shinnecock doesn’t offer many soft places to recover.
Niemann finished the opening round with an 8-over 78, a rough start for a player making his seventh career appearance in the U.S. Open.
His best finish in the championship remains a tie for 23rd at Winged Foot in 2020, but this trip turned sideways fast.
The real sting is that Niemann’s talent has never been the question. He has the ball-striking to handle major-championship setups and the confidence to attack difficult courses.
But the U.S. Open has a way of testing more than swing mechanics. It tests patience, decision-making and emotional control.
On Thursday, one hole exposed all of it.
Niemann didn’t just lose shots at the sixth. He lost control of the moment, and the scorecard punished him for every bit of it.
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