Joaquin Niemann Receives Two-Stroke Penalty For 'Serious Misconduct' At US Open

Joaquin Niemann has become the first golfer to receive a penalty for breaking the new code of conduct policy introduced into the 2026 Majors.

The LIV Golf star was assessed two penalty strokes for throwing a club on the 6th hole during round one, with the USGA stating the act "was determined to be serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b."

Niemann made a nine on the par 4 6th in round one, which was upped to an 11 with his code of conduct penalty. The Chilean drove two balls out of bounds to the right, and eventually signed for an eight-over-par 78.

Rule 1.2b states:

The Committee may set its own standards of player conduct in a Code of Conduct adopted as a Local Rule.

The Code may include penalties for breach of its standards, such as a one-stroke penalty or the general penalty.

The Committee may also disqualify a player for serious misconduct in failing to meet the Code’s standards.

The code of conduct policy has been a hot topic in 2026, with Robert MacIntyre and Sergio Garcia each receiving warnings at The Masters in April.

The PGA of America’s chief championships officer, Kerry Haigh, spoke about it at the PGA Championship last month, where he said the new rules came about after several meetings between the PGA, Augusta National, The R&A, and the USGA, as well as the PGA and DP World Tours, in which they discussed "how to come up with a program that we feel is fair and effective".

"If a player does something egregious, then, unfortunately, we would give a warning to that player," Haigh explained.

"And if they were to do it again, there would be a two-shot penalty."

"We've been working closely with the organisers of the other Majors and the tours more broadly," R&A CEO Mark Darbon said earlier this year.

"I would expect to see a similar policy introduced this summer."

Golf Monthly understands it is a three-strike system that carries over throughout the tournament, with a warning moving onto a two-stroke penalty and then disqualification for a third breach.

The USGA confirmed to Golf Monthly that Niemann did not receive a warning prior to his penalty, citing: 'Serious Misconduct: If a player’s (or their caddie’s) behavior is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf, in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Championship Director, may apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact, intent and severity of the misconduct.'

Eight-time LIV Golf winner Niemann will need a strong second round to make the cut at Shinnecock Hills. He is playing in his seventh US Open this week, with his best finish of T23 coming back in 2020 at Winged Foot.

Niemann has a perplexing Major record with just one top-10, coming at the 2025 PGA Championship, from 27 starts.