US Open: LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann surprised by 'serious misconduct' penalty for throwing golf club at Shinnecock Hills

LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann received a two-shot penalty for 'serious misconduct' from the USGA during his opening round at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills after throwing a golf club. The penalty contributed to Niemann carding an 11 on the par-four sixth hole, compounding an already difficult hole where he also hit two tee shots out of bounds. Despite the troubled first round, Niemann recovered to shoot a second-round 65 and expressed surprise at the severity of the punishment while acknowledging he would learn from the incident.