Joaquin Niemann made unwanted history at the US Open after being the first golfer penalized under the new major championship code of conduct.
Niemann was assessed a two-stroke penalty for throwing his club on the sixth hole during his first round of the tournament at Shinnecock Hills.
His frustration arrived after he hit two drives out of bounds before coming up short of the green on his approach.
And Niemann certainly paid the price for his club throw at the US Open, with the Chilean finishing the par-four hole with a septuple bogey 11.
Niemann says he will learn from the punishment, deemed serious misconduct under the USGA’s Rule 1.2b, which has now been analyzed by Paul McGinley.
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Paul McGinley welcomes Joaquin Niemann’s two-stroke penalty at the US Open
In a passionate rant on Golf Channel, McGinley said: “Yeah I mean look, it’s up to interpretation, and not everybody is going to be filmed or seen throwing a club or not.
“But that’s not the point. I really like what’s happening here.
“In a game of… we’re seeing so much in favor of the players, so much entitlement, so much money going to the players, so much control in terms of over the ball rollback and all of that, where the players have got an increasing voice in the game.
“The powers that be, the R&A, the USGA in particular, along with Augusta National, those three are making a very strong stance here about codes of conduct and about boundaries.
“And I think those boundaries have been stretched too far over the years, and it’s really good and refreshing to see those boundaries coming in.
“We saw it at The Masters, although nothing was done, people became aware of it. We’re seeing it at the PGA, and we’re certainly seeing it this week. I’m all in favor of it.
“What I will say to the USGA and the R&A more than anything is, in a world where the players have so much control at the moment, and the PGA Tour is in a weak position because it’s a members’ organization, and Brian Rolapp is employed by the players, it’s very hard for him to have these codes of behavior.
“So it rests with the USGA, and it rests with the R&A.
“The leverage that they have over the players, and the same when it comes to the ball and equipment is, all the players want to win major championships more than anything.
“And the leverage is, this is the way it’s going to be boys. If you want to play in majors, this is how we’re going to run it.
“If you want to do different things in the PGA Tour, that’s up to you guys, or the DP World Tour, up to you guys, or the LIV tour, up to you guys.
“But when you come to the major championships, this is what we do. Whether it be the ball, whether it be the equipment, whether it be the code of behavior.
“They have massive leverage over the players in that way, and I’d like to see them exercise it a little bit stronger. This is a start.
“They have so much power in the game, because they are the four/five biggest brands in the game, the four majors and the Ryder Cup, and taking a stand for the good of the game.
“Because if you look over the last four or five years, who has stood up for the game? All I see is take, take, take.
“I don’t see somebody standing up for the game. This is standing up for the code of behavior within the game, and I’m all for it.”
Joaquin Niemann deserves praise after US Open outburst
With similar outbursts having taken place earlier in the season, Niemann will be feeling aggrieved by the timing of the ruling, but action undoubtedly needed to be taken.
His frustrations certainly weren’t the worst, but players are supposed to act as role models, and must be held accountable for their actions.
While Niemann felt his punishment was slightly harsh, he does deserve credit for how he has responded, both on and off the course.
The LIV Golf player has owned up to his mistake, but more significantly was able to recover to make the cut at Shinnecock Hills.
He started out with a nightmare eight-over 78, but produced a superb five-under 65 to finish on three-under and just about make the weekend.
Notably, the same cannot be said of many of his fellow LIV Golf players, with Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm missing the US Open cut of four-over.
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