Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Joaquin Niemann of Torque GC walks the 14th fairway during the semifinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John's Resort
Joaquin Niemann got off to a rough start at the U.S. Open before he managed to turn things around and finish near the top of the leaderboard. He was hit with a two-stroke penalty after throwing a temper tantrum during his opening round at Shinnecock, and it ended up being very costly based on how much money he forfeited as a result.
On Sunday, Wyndham Clark secured his second win at the U.S. Open in front of a fairly hostile crowd, a victory that came a year after he was banned from Oakmont for the rampage he went on in the locker room after missing the cut.
That outburst transpired a month after Clark had damaged a sign he chucked his driver at following a wayward tee shot at the PGA Championship, and he and some of his fellow golfers were responsible for a trend that led to rules officials making a concerted effort to address concerns about conduct on the course.
Sergio Garcia was able to avoid extra strokes on his scorecard when he was hit with a warning after a meltdown at The Masters earlier this year. However, that was not the case with Joaquin Niemman, who found himself in an even bigger hole than the one he’d dug for himself following a brutal stretch last Thursday at the U.S. Open—a development that led to him leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table.
Joaquin Niemann’s two-stroke penalty at the U.S. Open cost him close to $700,000
Niemann had a couple of wins on the PGA Tour before defecting to LIV Golf, and he’s secured eight victories on that circuit since joining in 2022.
However, his performances in the majors he’s competed in since then have left a lot to be desired more often than not. Heading into this year’s U.S. Open (which he failed to qualify for in 2025), the Chilean had missed the cut in one third of the dozen premier events he’d played in while peaking with a tie for 8th at the PGA Championship last year (his only Top 10 finish).
It didn’t look like he was going to be in the hunt at the U.S. Open this year when you consider he kicked things off with what initially appeared to be a six-over 76 during his opening round, which included a quintuple bogey on the par-4 6th. However, it ended up being a 78, as he was penalized two strokes for “abuse of clubs” after chucking an iron 50 yards in a fit of frustration on a hole where he officially carded an 11.
The 27-year-old managed to turn things around on Friday with a five-under 65 to make the cut. He followed that up with a 72 and closed things out with a 66 to finish at +1 for the tournament, which made him one of the four golfers who finished in a tie for seventh place.
Niemann took home $617,090, but if it had not been for those two strokes, he would have finished in a tie for third alongside Tom Kim. Kim got $1,532,530, but based on how payouts are calculated when players are tied, he and Nienamm each would have received $1,303,446, which means the club throw cost the latter $686,356.
Ouch.